What my past few days looked like:
Thursday:
7pm: @ ECIC (worship practice) Bed
Friday:
7 am(ish): on the road to Vermont for the weekend! Manly Bonding begins!
9 am: Hiked into a state park in Topsfield and used a rope swing to dive into a river.
12 pm Lunch + back on the road
3-4 pm: Afternoon at Smuggler's Notch exploring the mountainside and spelunking!
5pm: Volley Ball @ the Chevalier's place in Vermont!
6 PM: Amazing BBQ dinner (chicken, and steak, corn on the cob, baked ziti, bread, salad, and yummy desserts!)
7 pm: Scriptural lesson involving rope and wrestling in some cases
7:30-Dark more volley ball. Best games I have ever played, for real.
??-?? Dip in the pool! 81 degrees!
??-10:45pm Warm self by the campfire, eat s'mores, and hear more of God's word.
10:45- Whenever: Stayed up late gazing at the stars and talking to new friends. It has always been my dream since I was a little kid to go someplace where I could a) see the Milky Way or B) See a shooting star. I saw both that night :)
Saturday:
6:30 am: Devotional time with God
7 am: Biggest Breakfast ever conceived by man (Denver Omelettes, breakfast potatoes, yogurt, fruit salad, frensh toast casserole (+tons of yummy VT maple syrup!) OJ and Coffee.)
8 am: Walked down to the dam and explored around the rocks there. Went through Old Hydroelectric plant pipes!
10am-10:45: Shot water balloons at a giant target with a giant slingshot. Later upgraded to small fruits and rodents (J/k about the rodents)
10:45-12pm: Pack up all the tents to leave, and MORE VOLLEYBALL!
12:30pm: Stop at Al's French fries for some food. Amazing fries indeed :)
1:30-5pm: Hiking to the cliff face to meet a friend. Great time Mountain Climbing and Repelling with Harnesses :) I made it to the top!
6(ish) pm: Leave to go home! Stopped at Wendy's for Dinner.
10pm: @Ecic to pick up my car. So tired, so sore, so worth it!
11 pm: Writing a blog post + Bed
Sunday: Back to ECIC for church and worship!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Money, Suffering, and Zen
People work because they think they need to. Oftentimes they work terrible jobs, jobs they HATE, because of their "need". They suffer and they do not know why. I know why people suffer, it is because they are insatiable. It is because their eyes invent things for them to need: money, power, fame, glory, honor, a job, a wife, a house, a tv, an iPod, a car and everything in between. They need them because they are told they need them. What if everything you owned was a tunic or two, a pair of sandals, and a walking stick, but God provided for your every need? Are you poor or blessed?
I never have any money, but I am not poor. It's because I give it all away. I give to lots of people, I make huge meals to share with everyone because it makes me happy to share with them. Can I afford it? The world says, "No, you can't afford this. Don't do it, you are being wasteful." To me though, I don't care about having money. I'm pretty sure everyone in the dorm where I live thinks I'm rich, but I've had to ask for money on more than a few occasions. I feel no shame in it. God provided me with an entire community of Christians who enjoy serving and providing for needs. I happen to utilize that. Someone once told me this "When you confess your needs to [other Christians], you are giving them the best gift of all: the opportunity to serve." After all, those who are the greatest in the kingdom are the ones who serve. So many people don't know how to be blessed by God. Don't be so proud.
The Buddhists believe the way to get rid of all suffering is to achieve Nirvana by getting detached from all needs and wants. A very noble truth, they go the path of emptiness. However Christians, I've found, go the path of fulfillment. Instead of eliminating every need, Christ becomes the one who fulfills every need. I like that. A filled and fulfilling life, life in abundance. That is indeed what God has promised His People.
To put it bluntly, Christianity offers the better deal. There is no meditation or koans to read/solve, and no reincarnation if you get it wrong (seriously who wants to live life again?). If truly all road lead to the same place as is the mantra of today's society, Christianity wins hands down. A lot of people ask me why I picked Christianity and if I think all the other religions are false. BTW, word to the wise, never answer yes or no questions with a yes or a no. No, I believe that the truth claims other religions make can be true or nearly true, and I never once claimed that other gods cannot exist. There is just no other God I would rather follow than the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. Baal, Molech, Asherah, Buddha, Pikkiwoki, Vishnu, and whatever other gods the pluralistic society presents you simply do not match up to YHWH, the God who speaks and the God who sees me.
I never have any money, but I am not poor. It's because I give it all away. I give to lots of people, I make huge meals to share with everyone because it makes me happy to share with them. Can I afford it? The world says, "No, you can't afford this. Don't do it, you are being wasteful." To me though, I don't care about having money. I'm pretty sure everyone in the dorm where I live thinks I'm rich, but I've had to ask for money on more than a few occasions. I feel no shame in it. God provided me with an entire community of Christians who enjoy serving and providing for needs. I happen to utilize that. Someone once told me this "When you confess your needs to [other Christians], you are giving them the best gift of all: the opportunity to serve." After all, those who are the greatest in the kingdom are the ones who serve. So many people don't know how to be blessed by God. Don't be so proud.
The Buddhists believe the way to get rid of all suffering is to achieve Nirvana by getting detached from all needs and wants. A very noble truth, they go the path of emptiness. However Christians, I've found, go the path of fulfillment. Instead of eliminating every need, Christ becomes the one who fulfills every need. I like that. A filled and fulfilling life, life in abundance. That is indeed what God has promised His People.
To put it bluntly, Christianity offers the better deal. There is no meditation or koans to read/solve, and no reincarnation if you get it wrong (seriously who wants to live life again?). If truly all road lead to the same place as is the mantra of today's society, Christianity wins hands down. A lot of people ask me why I picked Christianity and if I think all the other religions are false. BTW, word to the wise, never answer yes or no questions with a yes or a no. No, I believe that the truth claims other religions make can be true or nearly true, and I never once claimed that other gods cannot exist. There is just no other God I would rather follow than the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. Baal, Molech, Asherah, Buddha, Pikkiwoki, Vishnu, and whatever other gods the pluralistic society presents you simply do not match up to YHWH, the God who speaks and the God who sees me.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
What Must I Do...
...to inherit eternal life?
This was the million dollar question posed by a rich young ruler to Jesus. There is so much to touch upon in this story (Found in Mark 10), that I don't have time. I want to focus solely on these four lines of the pericope (Red text and italics mine):
I've been thinking about this question too. What Jesus tells that man is not what we would answer to someone asking the question of us. Most of us would say, pray to ask Jesus into your heart, read the Bible everyday, go to church, fellowship, worship, and so on.
Does that mean we think Jesus was not really serious when he answered "One thing you lack, go and sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me"? Jesus says absolutely none of those things we would expect. Jesus absolutely meant every word he said. This isn't a specific command for one person in particular, and when taken as the answer to the question "What must I do to inherit Eternal life?", this answer seems rather important to salvation.
I remember reading this and thinking, "This is way too much to ask! There is no way I could do this! Jesus must have meant something else!" as if Jesus would never say such radical things. I think we are all like this. No one I know who is a Christian has sold everything they had and gave to the poor to follow Jesus myself included.
The thing is, even the Disciples were astonished about what Jesus said, and I'm sure had the exact some thoughts I had. They ask the question "Who then can be saved?" Jesus then gives the real answer to the question "What must I do to inherit eternal life": "With man this is impossible, but not with God." Essentially, there is nothing you WILL do.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing you can do to inherit eternal life outside of selling everything you have and following Jesus. I can't stress that enough. No amount of praying to ask Jesus into your heart, bible reading, church going, worshiping, or fellowshipping could get you into heaven. It is impossible for us to have eternal life, but the hope is this: "With God all things are possible".
Jesus is saying there is a way into the Kingdom of God that is otherwise impossible to get into, and that's God. God has done everything for us, everything has been done for us because nothing could be done by us. That is the miracle of grace and the mystery of Christ on the Cross and the majesty of His resurrection, if you choose to believe it.
John 6:28-29 (ASV) "28 They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
Another great example of Jesus changing the focus away from "What should we do". Faith can be the hardest thing you do, but being a disciple requires discipline.
I am not saying things like reading the bible or worshiping are bad. Not at all! But these things in and of themselves are not necessary nor sufficient for salvation, but rather are results (not causes) of faith in Christ Jesus. Believe it or not, I do not need to hold the same theology or believe the same things about the Bible as someone else to live out life as a Christian. As long as it preaches Christ crucified, it doesn't matter the reason (whether for profit like some well-to-do televangelists or out of love from the poorest of poor walking the streets).
There is questionable theology everywhere, and even at Seminary no two people hold the same theology. I disagree with a lot of stuff. What is not necessary for salvation can be done in the name of ministry. A lot of things don't matter at all: Gay marriage, abortion views, baptism views, sabbath views, etc. Only one thing absolutely cannot change and is what binds all Christians together: Belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God sent as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I keep my theology simple in order to remain flexible in a faith that demands it. I keep as true to the Word of God as I can.
There is nothing one should do to be a Christian because there is nothing one can do except believe the very Words Jesus taught. There is no right way to express thankfulness for the grace God has given, only usual response that tends to mark a life touched by Christ (i.e. a love for the word of God, a renewed worldview, love for God's people, a desire to seek reconciliation, a hunger to know God (to seek His face) and speak with Him, a voluntary submission to God's will, joyful expressions of thanksgiving (dancing, singing, shouting, clapping, writing, etc.), among many other things!).
Faith without these "works" I listed is only people pretending. If you don't find yourself genuinely wanting to do these things of your own volition (not because you are expected to do them, but because you WANT to do them), you may need to examine yourself. This is especially directed to those of us who serve in a church/religious setting. We do not want to slip into a place where we do things because we are required to do them. It will only hurt us and the people we serve in the long run and we will burn out.
This is my conclusion: I believe that the Church today has been too focused on the results of faith and not enough about Jesus. I want to try and focus more on Jesus, what he taught and said. I am a "Red Letter Christian" through and through. It seems a lot of people when they give their testimonies, don't talk about Jesus and what He did for them, but rather it comes off as what they did. I am a Christian through no fault of my own. The last thing I wanted for my life was Christ or religion or anything like that. JESUS found me, not the other way around. It's not "Have you found the Lord" but rather "Has He found you?"
Alright. I'm gonna stop. See this always happens, I only want to write a little bit and I end up preaching.
This was the million dollar question posed by a rich young ruler to Jesus. There is so much to touch upon in this story (Found in Mark 10), that I don't have time. I want to focus solely on these four lines of the pericope (Red text and italics mine):
17 And as he was going forth into the way, there ran one to him, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good save one, even God.19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor thy father and mother.20 And he said unto him, Teacher, all these things have I observed from my youth.21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
I've been thinking about this question too. What Jesus tells that man is not what we would answer to someone asking the question of us. Most of us would say, pray to ask Jesus into your heart, read the Bible everyday, go to church, fellowship, worship, and so on.
Does that mean we think Jesus was not really serious when he answered "One thing you lack, go and sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me"? Jesus says absolutely none of those things we would expect. Jesus absolutely meant every word he said. This isn't a specific command for one person in particular, and when taken as the answer to the question "What must I do to inherit Eternal life?", this answer seems rather important to salvation.
I remember reading this and thinking, "This is way too much to ask! There is no way I could do this! Jesus must have meant something else!" as if Jesus would never say such radical things. I think we are all like this. No one I know who is a Christian has sold everything they had and gave to the poor to follow Jesus myself included.
The thing is, even the Disciples were astonished about what Jesus said, and I'm sure had the exact some thoughts I had. They ask the question "Who then can be saved?" Jesus then gives the real answer to the question "What must I do to inherit eternal life": "With man this is impossible, but not with God." Essentially, there is nothing you WILL do.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing you can do to inherit eternal life outside of selling everything you have and following Jesus. I can't stress that enough. No amount of praying to ask Jesus into your heart, bible reading, church going, worshiping, or fellowshipping could get you into heaven. It is impossible for us to have eternal life, but the hope is this: "With God all things are possible".
Jesus is saying there is a way into the Kingdom of God that is otherwise impossible to get into, and that's God. God has done everything for us, everything has been done for us because nothing could be done by us. That is the miracle of grace and the mystery of Christ on the Cross and the majesty of His resurrection, if you choose to believe it.
John 6:28-29 (ASV) "28 They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
Another great example of Jesus changing the focus away from "What should we do". Faith can be the hardest thing you do, but being a disciple requires discipline.
I am not saying things like reading the bible or worshiping are bad. Not at all! But these things in and of themselves are not necessary nor sufficient for salvation, but rather are results (not causes) of faith in Christ Jesus. Believe it or not, I do not need to hold the same theology or believe the same things about the Bible as someone else to live out life as a Christian. As long as it preaches Christ crucified, it doesn't matter the reason (whether for profit like some well-to-do televangelists or out of love from the poorest of poor walking the streets).
There is questionable theology everywhere, and even at Seminary no two people hold the same theology. I disagree with a lot of stuff. What is not necessary for salvation can be done in the name of ministry. A lot of things don't matter at all: Gay marriage, abortion views, baptism views, sabbath views, etc. Only one thing absolutely cannot change and is what binds all Christians together: Belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God sent as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I keep my theology simple in order to remain flexible in a faith that demands it. I keep as true to the Word of God as I can.
There is nothing one should do to be a Christian because there is nothing one can do except believe the very Words Jesus taught. There is no right way to express thankfulness for the grace God has given, only usual response that tends to mark a life touched by Christ (i.e. a love for the word of God, a renewed worldview, love for God's people, a desire to seek reconciliation, a hunger to know God (to seek His face) and speak with Him, a voluntary submission to God's will, joyful expressions of thanksgiving (dancing, singing, shouting, clapping, writing, etc.), among many other things!).
Faith without these "works" I listed is only people pretending. If you don't find yourself genuinely wanting to do these things of your own volition (not because you are expected to do them, but because you WANT to do them), you may need to examine yourself. This is especially directed to those of us who serve in a church/religious setting. We do not want to slip into a place where we do things because we are required to do them. It will only hurt us and the people we serve in the long run and we will burn out.
This is my conclusion: I believe that the Church today has been too focused on the results of faith and not enough about Jesus. I want to try and focus more on Jesus, what he taught and said. I am a "Red Letter Christian" through and through. It seems a lot of people when they give their testimonies, don't talk about Jesus and what He did for them, but rather it comes off as what they did. I am a Christian through no fault of my own. The last thing I wanted for my life was Christ or religion or anything like that. JESUS found me, not the other way around. It's not "Have you found the Lord" but rather "Has He found you?"
Alright. I'm gonna stop. See this always happens, I only want to write a little bit and I end up preaching.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Awaiting Judgment
There's that feeling again. It's a feeling I know all to well for how short I've lived. It's the feeling you get when your completely and absolutely mess up and hurt someone. It's the position of utter helplessness in face of what you've done because you know in your heart there is nothing that can take back what was done. It's the feeling when you stand before the judge, guilty as charged.
You want to hide but there is no escape. You want to run but the feeling stays with you no matter how fast or how far. Nothing you can do to remove this feeling, nothing at all. You can put yourself down, beat yourself up over it, if it helps you feel better, but there is only one power in the whole world that can combat it.
Forgiveness.
Do you feel like I do? My guilt rests heavy upon my head, my punishment too much to bear, but I heard somewhere there was a cure for this.
But as of now, this wretched man, no not even a man, but a boy, must accept the consequences of his actions. That is the only thing I can do, and indeed it is the right thing to do. So for now I'm
Awaiting Judgment.
Pray for me brothers, as I need more grace than I thought.
You want to hide but there is no escape. You want to run but the feeling stays with you no matter how fast or how far. Nothing you can do to remove this feeling, nothing at all. You can put yourself down, beat yourself up over it, if it helps you feel better, but there is only one power in the whole world that can combat it.
Forgiveness.
Do you feel like I do? My guilt rests heavy upon my head, my punishment too much to bear, but I heard somewhere there was a cure for this.
But as of now, this wretched man, no not even a man, but a boy, must accept the consequences of his actions. That is the only thing I can do, and indeed it is the right thing to do. So for now I'm
Awaiting Judgment.
Pray for me brothers, as I need more grace than I thought.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Shadow Am I by mewithoutYou
It's the smell of hot summertime trash.
It's the city noise of a busy street.
It's a train derailed and two car head
on freeway crash each time we meet.
"and if it comes as some sort of surprise,"
she said "that I seem so composed, I've
kept this moment closer to my eyes," she
said,"than the glasses resting on the
edge of my nose."
Shadow am I! Shadow am I!
A question of a person, no said reply
Wolf am I!
Wolf and shadow cast on the sheep as I pass by.
Shadow am I! Shadow am I!
or like a wearing-black-socks-and-white-woolen-locks
Wolf am I!
And shadow.
She was graceful and green as a stem,
but I walk heavy on delicate ground.
Oh, there I go showing off again.
Self-impressed by how well I can put myself down...
and there I go again, to the next further removed
level of that same exact feigned humility,and this
for me goes on and on to the point of nausea
Shadow am I!
Like a suspicion that's never confirmed but it's never denied
Wolf am I!
No, "shadow" I think is better,
cuz I'm not something more like the absence of something
So Shadow am I!
The whole material world seems to me like a
newspaper headline.It explicitly demands your
attention and it may even contain some truth...
but what's really going on here?
One day the water's gunna wash it away
One day the water's gunna wash it away
One day the water's gunna wash it away
and on that day...
One day the water's gunna wash it away
One day the water's gunna wash it away
Nothing clever to say.
One day.
Nothing else to say.
It's the city noise of a busy street.
It's a train derailed and two car head
on freeway crash each time we meet.
"and if it comes as some sort of surprise,"
she said "that I seem so composed, I've
kept this moment closer to my eyes," she
said,"than the glasses resting on the
edge of my nose."
Shadow am I! Shadow am I!
A question of a person, no said reply
Wolf am I!
Wolf and shadow cast on the sheep as I pass by.
Shadow am I! Shadow am I!
or like a wearing-black-socks-and-white-woolen-locks
Wolf am I!
And shadow.
She was graceful and green as a stem,
but I walk heavy on delicate ground.
Oh, there I go showing off again.
Self-impressed by how well I can put myself down...
and there I go again, to the next further removed
level of that same exact feigned humility,and this
for me goes on and on to the point of nausea
Shadow am I!
Like a suspicion that's never confirmed but it's never denied
Wolf am I!
No, "shadow" I think is better,
cuz I'm not something more like the absence of something
So Shadow am I!
The whole material world seems to me like a
newspaper headline.It explicitly demands your
attention and it may even contain some truth...
but what's really going on here?
One day the water's gunna wash it away
One day the water's gunna wash it away
One day the water's gunna wash it away
and on that day...
One day the water's gunna wash it away
One day the water's gunna wash it away
Nothing clever to say.
One day.
Nothing else to say.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)