March 3, 2015 - along the Way ...

As we continue our Lenten journey to the cross with Jesus, I am struck by the continuing tension between morality and being Christlike.

Now wait, I know you are going to insist that being moral and being Christlike are one in the same.
And I will grant that being moral is part of being Christlike, but being Christlike is more than being moral.

This weekend my family and I watched the movie "Chocolat".  In the movie, the townspeople motivated by the church (or at least some significant members of the church) begin a campaign to "Boycott Immorality".  Somehow they believe if they can just rid themselves of immorality and all those who intice them toward immorality, they will achieve "tranquility".

The first problem with "boycotting immorality" is that we have to boycott ourselves.  All of us are sinful, which is worse than being immoral.  Sin lives deep within our hearts, and it resists our efforts to remove it.  Ultimately, only Christ can remove our sin and change our hearts.

One example of this problem from the movie is the case of Serge, the local bartender who likes to beat his wife.  Once his immorality is discovered, the mayor takes him to confession, enrolls him into catechism class, and cleans him up.  After a while he goes to his wife to win her back, but she refuses.   Serge claims, "God has changed me", but she remains skeptical.

Once Serge realizes that his efforts at reform have failed to bring reconciliation with his wife (or at least get her to come back home) he defaults to his old self, gets drunk, and becomes abusive.  He had not changed his sinful self, he had simply changed his moral behavior for a time.

The second problem comes when we cannot separate our hatred of immoral behavior from the people who are acting immorally.  We tend to identify the people as the enemy, and seek ways to eliminate the enemy hoping to rid ourselves of the behavior.  

Yet people are people, they are not the real enemy.   The real enemy is "not flesh and blood" (see Ephesians 6:12).  The real enemy is sin and the spiritual forces of evil that use sin as their personal weapon.  By focusing on the people, we miss the real enemy and will still lose the war.

Being Christlike goes beyond being moral because being like Christ means we continue to love our enemy and pray for those who persecute us.  In our efforts to pursue morality we must not lose the love for people that Christ maintained.  In the end, the call to love God and love neighbor trumps our efforts to be moral.

These are just some of my thoughts for this lenten journey.   I invite you to share some of your own, as we journey together along the Way ....

February 24, 2015 - along the Way ...

This weekend I was watching a show called "Cupcake Wars" with my wife.   On the show contestants present their best offering of cupcake based on required ingredients and a theme provided by the judges.  It never ceases to amaze me how confident many of the contestants are going into the judging.  

One contestant in particular was so confident she believed she had "nailed it" and was certain to be going into the next round.  Yet once the judging began, the judges had little if anything good to say.
She was eliminated.

This got me thinking.   How often do we rely on our own ideas of what God requires of those who belong to Him?  We even hear some people assume that there are "many roads" which lead to heaven and Jesus is just one of them.

I know that judgment is not my job.  I am nobody's judge, and I am glad.  Nevertheless, I think folks should take seriously God's judgment and listen specifically to what God has said He requires.  The Bible tells us we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and it tells us that faith without works is dead.  In addition, in the Jewish scriptures, in Micah 6:8, we read what is required, "To do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God."

There are many references in the Bible (which is God's word given to us so that we will know exactly what is expected) which point to what God requires of us.  I encourage each of us to read it for ourselves.  Do not simply take someone else's word for it.  Read it!  It is God's gracious gift given to all of us that we might grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.  

So what do you think?  Can you think of examples where people are overly optimistic and are stunned by a judge's judgment?  Can you think of other scriptures that help us know what God requires of us?

Let us share these words of life with each other, as we journey together along the Way ...

February 17, 2015 - along the Way ...

This weekend my wife and I enjoyed viewing the film, "Old Fashioned".  It was a really GREAT movie!  Perhaps you have heard that from others, but I want to elaborate on why it was such a GREAT movie.

This film is GREAT on so many levels.  It certainly offers an alternative to the way our society often presents male-female relationships, but it also examines the interplay between righteousness and grace.

We know that Christ is our righteousness, and His righteousness is received by God's grace alone.
In Christ, God sees us as forgiven, sinless, and completely righteous.  However, the fact that God declares us righteous in Christ (what we call justification) does not lower the expectation of becoming holy (what we call sanctification) as through the Holy Spirit's power we become more like Jesus.

Jesus presents us with this challenge in what is called "The Sermon on the Mount".   In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says,

"Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;

I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear;

not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen,

will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands

and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven,

but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees 

and the teachers of the law,

you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus never lowers the standard.  Righteousness is the expectation.  By God's grace, Jesus brings us up to the standard (justification) while empowering us through the Holy Spirit to live righteously (sanctification).  

In the movie, we are challenged to wrestle with the expectation of righteousness, while receiving the gift of God's grace in Christ.  

In some ways, I believe Clay is only able to understand and appreciate the depth of God's love because he struggled to live righteously.  

There is much more that can be said regarding this movie, but I think this is sufficient to initiate a good conversation.  If you have seen the movie, please share your own thoughts and reactions.  If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it, and invite you to share your thoughts here as well, as we journey together along the Way ... 

February 10, 2015 - along the Way ...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T spells respect.  So what does respect have to do with our journey along the Way?

The dictionary defines respect: "the condition of being esteemed or honored"

Respect is about honor.  It is a mindset, which in turn shapes behavior.

A few weeks ago I heard the song "Girl in a Country Song" by Maddie & Tae.  The song highlights the lack of respect women receive in too many country songs, and demands a return to times when such respect was more freely given by men like Conway Twitty and George Strait.

Respect disappears when we begin to see persons as objects rather than people created in God's image with inherent value and unique dignity.  If we allow this mindset to be present in our culture and society, then we should not be surprised when there are issues of abuse, use, and maltreatment of women along with the prevalence of human sex trafficking.

It all begins with our minds.   If we perceive people as objects, then we can do whatever we want with them and to them.

So as followers of Jesus, we should offer respect to every person we encounter along the Way, whether or not they agree with us, or even share our faith.  Respect is the beginning point for true relationships, it is a mindset, and it is the first step toward rebuilding community.

So I am curious, what do you think?  Do you believe a person's mindset can affect his or her behavior?  What do you think about respect?   I invite you to share your thoughts, as we journey together along the Way ...

February 3, 2015 - along the Way ...

One of the great things about the annual American event that is the Super Bowl is the commercials.  Each year even folks who care nothing about American football tune in to see what new, inventive, funny angles advertisers will take.

This year, my favorite commercial was the one that made the most impact on me and my daughter Hannah.  It was the Coca-Cola commercial where the server attendant accidentally spilled Coke into the servers, and things went from hate and negativity to happy and positive.

I think that is what Jesus meant when he told us in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world."

Let's face it we live in a very dark world.   There is a lot of negativity, or as Taylor Swift sings, "Haters gonna hate, hate, hate".  Most of us find it easier to criticize (not critique and there is a difference) than to build up and encourage.

The hate was evident in twitter feeds and Facebook commentary on everything from the commercials in the Super Bowl, to the halftime show, to the critical play call at the goal line, which appeared to "cost" the Seahawks the game.  (I'll spare everyone my thoughts on that - let's just say "one play does not determine the outcome of a game")

It is easier for us to hate than to love, yet love is the light that this dark world needs.

As followers of Jesus, we should be known more for our love than our hate, more for what we are for than what we are against, offering words to build up and encourage rather than tear down (see Ephesians 4:29).

Then I believe this world will see our light.

Let me know your thoughts.  Do you agree or disagree?  Did you have a favorite commercial, or do you want to comment on my statement that one play does not determine a game?  Whatever.  I invite you to share your thoughts as we journey together along the Way ...

January 27, 2015 - along the Way ...

Yesterday I had the privilege of viewing the film American Sniper.  It was apparent from the beginning that this was going to be no ordinary film or viewing experience.   Several older gentlemen were in line to see the movie, veterans, as well as other folks you would not normally think you would see at a theater.   Obviously, many folks were there, as I was, to honor the legacy of an American hero.

As I have reflected on the film watching experience, several thoughts have come to mind.

(Let me also warn that this movie is rated "R" for a reason.  It shows the evil that lives among us, and as such it has strong language, questionable morality, and horror.  I do not recommend it for children under the age of 15, at least.)

First, I have thought about God's word.   In Psalm 18:34 and Psalm 144:1, King David intimates of the LORD,

"He trains my hands for battle" (Psalm 18:34)

"Praise be to the LORD my Rock,

who trains my hands for war,

my fingers for battle." (Psalm 144:1)

It is not something we usually like to emphasize, but the fact is when a man or woman has been equipped for battle, like Chris Kyle obviously was, their "gifts" come from God.

I really like how Kyle himself explains it.  Throughout his life, as seen in the movie, he was more interested in the number of lives he saved, than the number of lives he had to take.   He did his job, and his job was to make sure more men and women made it home to their families after the battle.

I am certain there are many warfighters and their families who thank God for people like Chris Kyle.

Second, I thought the movie carried a realistic picture of military life and what it must like to be engaged in battle.  War is not glamorous, and warfighters are not perfect or without fear.  Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act even when afraid.  That was evident in the film. 

Third, I thought it makes us aware of the sacrifices warfighter make on our behalf.  They do not enter the service of their country lightly, and they understand the costs.

In one scene, Kyle is depicted with his wife lamenting the fact that there is a war going on, and everyone seems to be oblivious to it.

I believe we need to think more regularly about the sacrifices being made, honor them, and choose to live courageously in the freedom we have been given.  

And this leads me to my last thought, "Do we know how to live well in the freedoms we have been given?"   

It intrigues me to consider how often warfighters find their purpose in battle, and yet when the battle is over, too many have a hard time finding a new purpose.  

Is not the purpose of engaging in war, the necessary evil, to gain us the freedom we crave?   Yet once the freedom has been won, we seem to have a hard time finding purpose for the freedom.   

In Galatians 5:1, Paul says, 

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

We are free to serve Jesus, yet too often we either misunderstand the reason we are free, or we simply allow ourselves to be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.   

I encourage us all to learn to live in the freedom we have been given as US citizens, and offer that freedom to God for His purposes and His glory!

What about you?  Did you see the movie?  Do you have thoughts?  I invite you to share them, or any reflections on what I have written, as we journey together along the Way ... 

January 20, 2015 - along the Way ...

Over the past few days I have been reading the story of Joseph in the Bible in the book of Genesis.  Joseph had an interesting life, to say the least, and his story helps us understand what we mean when we say God is with us.

In Genesis, the author often states, "The LORD was with Joseph". 

God was with Joseph when he was sold into slavery (Genesis 39:2-3), when he was wrongfully imprisoned (Genesis 39:21), when he interpreted Pharaoh's dream (Genesis 41:38), and when he was appointed caretaker over all of Egypt's harvest, and even at the reconciliation with his brothers (Genesis 50:20).

Interestingly, the author clearly states, "The LORD was with Joseph" in the hard times, and the same is assumed during the good times.  Nevertheless, whether in good times or bad, the LORD was with Joseph.  And He is with us too.

A few months ago, I learned something that has helped me understand my own journey better, and has assisted me in helping others understand their journey as well.  

I imagine most have heard that there are two factors which determine a person's life journey: nature and/or nurture.  This suggests that some people are born with specific challenges or good/bad character traits, while others develop those challenges or good/bad character based on the care they received or did not receive when they were young.  The first suggestion attributes character development to nature, while the second suggestion attributes it to nurture.   In reality, both are factors, and must be considered as we think about character development.  Yet are you aware that there is a third factor?

The third factor is the one that makes all the difference in the world.   The third factor, beyond nature and nurture, is choice.   Each person, no matter what has happened to them, has a choice as to how they will respond to a given situation.

For example, one could say Joseph had it made.  He was born into a good family, even though his mom died when he was young, his father took special interest in him and taught him about the LORD and sought to develop his character.

Yet later in life things went differently.   He was attacked by his brothers, sold into slavery, wrongfully imprisoned, and then forgotten after helping interpret a dream for Pharaoh's cupbearer.   Things had gone from really good to bad to worse.  

Even so, Joseph still had a choice.  He could choose how to respond.  Would he wallow in misery, blaming others for the horrible things that had happened to him, or would he trust God, and live with integrity no matter the circumstances.

Joseph chose to trust God, and because of God's abiding presence and Joseph's choices things turned around for him.   In fact, it was though the crucible of the hard times that Joseph became the person God needed him to be to carry out such a monumental task (Genesis 50:20).

So what about you?   Have you been living as if life has dealt you a bad hand?  Have you been blaming your mom and dad for your misfortune in life, or believing you were born with a raw deal?
If so, I want to encourage you to look to God.   He is with you, and will be with you.   You have a choice how you will respond to each situation you face today.

I invite you to share your thoughts, struggles, challenges, pain, and I promise to pray with you as we journey together along the Way ...