The Christmas Spirit

A very distinguished Christmas cookie

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year. For some reason, the brightly colored lights, mountains of snow, warm hot cocoa and endless run of Christmas specials on cable TV brings a certain level of joy to my heart. I've always loved Christmas. Really, I've always loved everything about Christmas (except for Christmas cookies which I still don't get... they don't really taste all that good, they don't have coffee in them, and the frosting tastes like chalk). But this year it's been kind of difficult to "get in the mood".

Earlier this week a group of us sat and prayed at my church, repenting for our materialism and addiction to our own comfort. We begged God to let his kingdom come in our lives, in our city, in our world no matter what it cost us. We asked him to teach us to pray like Jesus prayed.

I guess more than anything, I'm conflicted about how much stuff I have. I haven't had to ask God for my daily bread since undergrad because I've always had so much. Even now, when people ask me "what I want for Christmas" I just see this image in the back of my mind of everyone around the world who has so little. Do I really need a "better" pair of shoes when kids in South Africa are playing soccer barefoot? Do I really need the latest Apple product when 80% of the world is living on less than a dollar a day? And that's just the tip of the iceberg. 

To quote David Platt, being a follower of Christ costs something but it also costs something not to follow him. As we hold on to the money and talents God has lent us, others are starving and hungry, dying and in desperate need of the crumbs we through away. 

Ironically, I love giving gifts probably more than the average person. And while I am hoping to become radically different in terms of the way I spend my time, money, and resources, I'm not advocating for the end of gift-giving. But if we're really going to grab hold of the Christmas Spirit, the gifts we give should be of eternal merit. If we're truly want to be like Him, we have to give like he gave.

And with all that being said, I do hope that you have a very Merry Christmas.

In the Face of Desolation

I don’t like telling people what to do unless I’m quoting/paraphrasing the Bible. I don’t like the responsibility. In my mind, if you take my advice I’m then somehow implicated in the resulting actions. I also believe that if someone wants to leave, you let them leave. Present truth plainly but don't try to persuade. In the end, I firmly believe that people will do what they want to do most... hopefully it's to glorify God.

My church has been going through a transition these paste months and I’ve pretty much kept my opinions to myself. Today, I wanted to be a little more transparent. Pardon my emo trip.

Lately my church has been going through a tough time. Quite a few people have left. Some are on the fence, trying to decide if which way they’ll go. I’ve heard pretty much every side of the argument and am convinced that God alone knows the truth. I’ve been unable to sleep for the past few weeks as I’ve struggled to deal with disappointment after disappointment. Sometimes it felt as if people were trying to find reasons to leave, drop their responsibilities, and search for greener pastures. I took it personal and shouldn't have. It was probably selfish on my part.

For what it’s worth, here are some of the reasons why I’m staying: 

• The Bible Doesn’t Say to Leave- I searched the scriptures. I feel that God has given us the Bible to instruct us how to navigate the waters of this life. In the New Testament you find a ton of churches that Paul is instructing. None of them are perfect. In fact, in many the leaders are teaching heresy. But Paul/Peter/John never tell the members to leave the church. They always tell them to rebuke, correct, train, and fix the body even if that means calling out the leadership. Paul submitted to Christian Pharisees in order to show them that God’s plan involved all people (Acts 15). Christ went to teach at the synagogue.

• Counting the Cost- This might sound a little pretentious, se la vie. I thought of the souls that hung in the balance. I thought of friends who attended the church. I thought of new believers and struggling believers that attended the church. Was I willing to abandon them? Was it every man for himself? Or was their soul worth my discomfort? I feel that question is a rhetorical one.

• I can’t leave something broken- this is a pretty big deal for me. For whatever reason, I just can’t leave a place broken. I don’t think it pleases God. I heard a pastor preach on working at his church. He said that each day his wife would drop him off and they would sit in the car crying and praying.  He didn’t want to be at the church. It was arduous work and the church was jacked up. They would pray until their tears turned to praise but he refused to leave the church because he knew that’s where God wanted him.

Division is ugly. What’s more is that it’s not of God. Unity is so precious and it’s something that God values (Jesus prayed for it). If somethings precious you fight for it. You fight for it with bloody knuckles, calloused hands, and a sweat soaked brow. If the church is precious to God... I could go on and on about this… one day I might but I don’t think now is the appropriate time. I don’t knock people for leaving. More times than not I’m sad to see them go. It’s just the logic that always kills me…

A city in need of healing

I guess ultimately it comes down to how God has interacted with man over the course of redemptive history. We have always failed him. We have always fallen short of his expectation and standard. But yet and still, he has endured our sin and pursued us. He never left us and went to find a new body. He never abandoned Israel and searched for a “better” people. No, he endured with them. He pursued them. He loved them violently as demonstrated in the cross. He sent prophet after prophet to persuade them towards righteousness. He sent pillars of fire, clouds of smoke, invading armies, sickness, famine, bread from heaven, deliverance, and exile in order to break their hearts and draw them back to him. Eventually, he even sent his Son, borne of a woman, whom we crucified on a tree. But he never left them… I guess I feel convicted to demonstrate this heart to God’s body.

I guess, in the depths of my soul I know that Christ died for the church. He died for Bethel… that means she’s redeemable. He loved her violently and died on the cross, becoming the very thing his Father abhorred, for the sake of her election. That’s not really something I can walk away from.

Sure Thing in Christ

Ahhh… Life has been hectic and my bloggability has evaporated. Tiz the season to be jolly and eat insane amounts of Christmas cookies while watching Elf on repeat (is there really any other Christmas movie worth watching…?). 

Church and school have given me a never-ending “To-Do List”. Monday, I read so much that my right eye was throbbing. Yet and still, I think this is a beautiful struggle. I love my school. My job lets me spend all my time seeking the lost and discipling the saint… is there any greater treasure?

I don’t have a lot to say this time. Sorry if you were expecting something deep :-/

I know we all have lofty aspirations and goals. In about 3 weeks we’ll all pledge to do a bunch of things (lose 10 lbs, complete p90x, stop drinking coffee, keep our houses clean) and then find in a few months that are convictions failed. It used to really depress me. I could never really reach the standard that I was setting. My abs and arms still don’t look like the Rock’s. I can’t imagine what my mornings would be like without coffee.

Christ defines our success.  There is so much peace in that. There are some things we can work on. Perhaps even a few that we should work on. But our identity is held securely in Christ and not in some random checklist of things that we should or shouldn’t be doing. It’s only by his grace that we can change and he already looks at us and smiles.

Don’t get me wrong, examine your heart and ask for the grace to kill sin. But, at the same point in time, Christ gave us the sure gift of eternal life. He loves us despite the presence of coffee stains on our pearly whites and the love handles on our hips. Somewhere, there’s rest in that. 

Giving Thanks

I’ve been in the Mitten for the past week and sleeping for 10 hours has never felt so ama-za-zing. It’s been great to get a break from school/work and remember all the ways that the Midwest is different from the South (both in a good way and in a bad way).

The other night, I was driving through Ann Arbor and started to get teary eyed about the darkness of the city (teary eyed does not equal crying… cause I’m a man and men don’t cry unless they’re being stabbed or something…). But in light of it being the time for munching down pounds of turkey and whatever the heck constitutes stuffing, I wanted to run off my thankful list.

• I’m thankful that Michigan will beat that Ohio school for the first time in about a decade and I can finally tell my one Columbus friend to kick rocks really hard without any shoes on…

Beezy's French Toast is MAGICAL!!

• I’m thankful that Chris Crump, Jimmy Needham, and David Crowder* Band actually know how to write/sing/play an instrument and give me running music.

• I’m thankful that UnderArmor makes insulated running gear because it’s ALWAYS cold in Michigan. 

• I’m thankful for compression shorts J.

• I’m thankful for Bee’s French Toast, Pound Cake, Key Lime Pie, real (not instant) Coffee, and the fact that if you combine all three it negates the calories (I was an English major).

• I’m thankful that the Chronicles of Narnia will always be greater than Twilight even if kids these days don’t know what the former is.

• I’m thankful for musicals, plays, art galleries, and jazz and all the other artistic expressions that I took for granted as a kid.

Even though they're in the NorthEast, it's good to have good friends

• I’m thankful for friends that stay friends even when they live in different time zones and moms who mail goody bags to kids trapped in smog.

• I’m thankful that College Basketball > lockout.

• I’m thankful for newly married friends who get me super excited whenever I see them just because they’re married even though it means they have to ask their wives whenever we want to hang out :-/.

• I’m thankful that teasing them about this never stops being funny…

• I’m thankful for the Bobby Kelly’s, Terrence Quinn’s, Dr. Foster’s, Micah Caswell’s and Elliott Hill’s who poured into me, helping me mature and see what it means to be a man.

• I’m thankful for CLMI and the fact that there are people who truly love God and truly want to know him even when life gets tough.

• I’m thankful for Bethel Church and the fact that there are people who are eager to rebuild.

• Most of all, I’m thankful that God saw it fit to write himself into our story by sending his son to redeem an ignorant and lost people.

I think it’s important to remember the little things. They say life is filled with them and I for one am grateful that my life is filled with that instead of stuffing.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The Running Man

This past weekend I ran the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and I finished at a decent clip. I had spent the past couple of months training with a friend and, although we had never run further than 8 miles, I was able to run the whole thing without taking any breaks (except for a serious bathroom pit-stop… but that doesn’t really count does it? Especially since I was doing the happy dance for 15 mins). The race was different than I’d expected it to be. The crowd of people never thinned out, I never was able to find a group of people running at my same clip, and spent most of the time wandering through the mob of runners while trying not to collide with any of them.

Finishing is a great feeling. You cross this imaginary line, which tells you that you’ve allegedly run 13.1 miles (Google told me that I’d run 13.5) and worm your way through crowds of people for random snacks, photos, and bottles of water only to find out that you’re hurting in places you didn’t even know existed. But none of that matters. You don’t care about the fact that you smell like an 8^th grader’s gym-locker. You don’t care about the fact that your hamstrings feel like snapped rubber bands… the race is over and now you can eat ice cream and relax.

My mind is constantly drifting (when you’re running for 2+ hours you’ve got a lot of time to think). Most of the time I’m trying to process all the stuff I choose not to deal with. But on this sunny Sunday morning, running made me think of heaven. It would be a severe understatement to say that life has been complicated lately. Changes at my church, changes in friendships, changes in general… Change changes things. And in the end, I’m left looking forward to finishing the race...

Don’t get me wrong: there are some great things about this planet. However, despite the beauty of sunsets, amazement of aurora borealis, and the splendor of mountain ranges it just doesn’t compare to an eternity with the savior. I have so many questions to ask him…

I guess that’s my comfort through the grueling moments between the starting whistle and the finish line… soon it will all be over and the celebration will definitely top a couple orange slices and protein bars. When this race ends, the celebration never will. And that thought brings a smile to my face that trumps all the pain and confusion and silences the chaos. And maybe, just maybe, it will give me the strength to dance across the finish line… call it pre-gaming.

The Stupidity of Objectivity

 Looks good enough to eat...?

Last Saturday while serving pancakes at Rice U., a student told me that he didn’t like C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity because it wasn’t object enough. He told me that it didn’t adequately present both sides of the argument (atheism vs. Christianity) from a objective perspective.

Truth is a philosophical question, not a scientific one...

While at first glance, objectivity sounds like a sound idea… I mean who wouldn’t want an unbiased perspective on Christianity vs. Atheism? Theoretically, it would allow us to make an accurate assessment on which idea is “more sound”… but honestly, that’s dumb. I would like to dress up the “Theory of Objectivity” with more PC terminology but the very idea of wanting to be objective is a complete conflict with a culture that has immersed itself in post-modernism. How can you believe that no one is objective and no solid definition of anything exits (Post-Modernism) while at the same time stating that truth can only be found from an objective perspective (Objectivism)?

If you believe that there is no God, all of your theories, ideas, perspectives of life/creation, and understandings line up in accordance with your “theology” (or lack thereof). You can’t accurately write from the perspective of a theist because in your mind they’re irrational. The only way to understand their perspective would be to start believing in a God but then you wouldn’t be an atheist anymore!

Objectivity in this case would be the line between believing in God and not believing in God... now what is that exactly? You either believe in Yahweh or you don’t. For those who do, everything changes. For those who deny His existence, everything changes. The two positions are at odds with one another so there can be no common ground.

For the Christian, God’s word is the only objective truth. If science says one thing but God’s word says something different, science is wrong (as it has been in the past and will be in the future). But that’s another conversation for another time.

The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. His Word is not illogical and won’t appear to be so unless we approach it with faulty logic.

Marathoning on Mission: As Our Own

A few months ago I was really convicted to use my talents and invest them in God's kingdom in a really practical way. A friend of my mom's had raised money by selling yarn and had donated all of it to a charity. Well I'm not the most talented cat and I can't knit worth a darn... but I can run (or hobble...).

For all who don't know, November 12th me and a buddy are running a half-marathon in the hope of raising both support and awareness for an Anti-Human Trafficking organization. I've included the blurb from our "Team Page" with some statistics (since numbers make the world go 'round...). If you're not involved or aware, I encourage you to raise your awareness and implore you to get involved...

We are running the San Antonio Rock n' Roll Half Marathon for Pashi. Her early life placed her in the path of her violent, alcoholic father. Thankfully, she has refuge from today’s danger and tomorrow’s hopelessness through As Our Own and You.


 
Visit asourown.org


What will your donation do?

•   $720 will allow her to attend school for 9 months
•   $696 will allow her to eat three nutritious meals a day for one year
•   $672 will give her a comfortable home for 1 year
  
  

If each of us only gave up three cups of coffee we could feed, house, and educate one girl, Pashi, for a year. Consider, one girls life or three cups of coffee? - Any donation would be extremely helpful toward achieving our goal.


What does Pashi face outside of As Our Own?

• -  Sex Trafficking: Girls as young as 7 are forced into prostitution (source)
• -  Slave labor: 82 girls per day are trafficked (source) 
• -  Starvation: If you are a girl and not in the two above you face starvation (source)

Her story gives reason to our running . . .
Extreme poverty in India shows mercy to no one—not even to a small child, Pashi.


Her story begins in a small village in Western India, where she was born into a poor family caught in the poverty cycle. The cruelty of this life pushed Pashi’s father to seek refuge in alcohol. The alcohol pushed him to fits of violent rage.


Pashi’s mother decided to take the kids away from her raging, alcoholic husband, but that left them with even fewer options for survival. Often Pashi went without food, clothing, and shelter. There was little hope for a future outside the constant struggle.


When Pashi was 7 years old, As Our Own staff rescued her from extreme poverty and unstable living conditions. Her mom was hired as a cook at Hope College. This was a joyful relief for Pashi and her mother! Pashi would have not only food, clothing, and shelter—she would also have a good education, tutoring, lessons, and a larger lifelong family. Now, three years later, Pashi has excelled in her studies; her love for singing and dancing was unearthed and is being nurtured through lessons. Pashi is extremely grateful for the love of God she experiences through her As Our Own family.

Together, we are rewriting a real child's life story with every step. Will you sponsor Pashi?

Notes
Pashi is a pseudonym.