exchanged living.

"Fear not, little flock..."

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:51:01 -0400

“…for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

This verse (found in Luke 12:32) has woken me up all week. It’s been haunting me like the melody of a song to which I’ve forgotten the words. It is His desire to give us the Kingdom. What he asked us to pray (Thy Kingdom come) he also desires to offer.

Have you ever felt like your prayers were trying to coax God into some route of action? Not the prayers that you’re pretty sure He won’t answer because they reveal how spoiled and selfish you are (e.g. God, could you maybe…deliver an ipad to my house…please? - I may or may not have uttered that in my heart…sad, I know), but the prayers that you know reverberate close to His heart. Prayers for healing, for restoration, for change. Prayers that you and the community you love may be a part of something truly “of God”, truly supernatural and life-altering. Even prayers that His Kingdom would come and His will would be done here on earth as it is in heaven.

This verse shows something amazing about the Father’s heart: what He’s asked us to seek, he desires to give us. Even more than that: He desires to give us the Kingdom more than we desire to see it here. Our prayers are not trying to nudge a stubborn God forward; He wants His kingdom to come. But why, then, do we fail to see it sometimes?

One clue might be in the context here. Jesus drops this statement in the midst of a sobering challenge to those listening: sell your things, give to the needy, be ready for the master’s return. Store up treasure in heaven; value my kingdom more than everything the world considers valuable. He shares with them how valuable they are to the Father and how He longs to give them his kingdom; but he never promises these things without cost.

As I’ve been sitting on these thoughts, one reality has hit me pretty hard: I often take more comfort in the things of this world than I do that I’m loved by the Father, the very same Father who wants to share His kingdom and all it entails with me. Jesus urges his audience not to be afraid. Afraid of what? Afraid that they are not valuable enough to God to trust him to take care of them.

Do I trust his love enough to love the world less? Do I believe Him?

GEAUX TIGERS. Two days and counting...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:45:18 -0400

I just realized that game day is two days away. I need to purchase some body paint, stat.

Mormonism and Biblical Christianity ->A post from Justin Taylor and the Gospel Coalition

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:34:10 -0400

Mormonism and Biblical Christianity ->A post from Justin Taylor and the Gospel Coalition:

With the rise of people like Glen Beck as political voices in the public sphere, Mormonism (or the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints) has come under the microscope for a lot of people. I cringe when I think of people turning to these voices as synonymous with the orthodox Christian stance, and I found this article that lays out the major differences between Mormonism and Christianity. Check it out if you have questions…

Mind mapping is something I regularly do as I prepare sermons....

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:25:33 -0400

Mind mapping is something I regularly do as I prepare sermons. When I started studying the story of Belshazzar, I immediately made mental connections between Daniel 5 and a parable Jesus told, recorded in Luke 12:16-21 (and the following teaching in 22-40).

Read both passages. Justifiable connections? If so, which ones?

Sabbath and Mission -> a link to some thoughts by Dr. Brian Russell

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:05:13 -0400

Sabbath and Mission -> a link to some thoughts by Dr. Brian Russell:

Brian is a friend and one of my Old Testaments Professors at Asbury. His framework for mission, especially in the reading of Scripture as Missional, has deeply impacted me, and his upcoming book will be a must-read for me down the road.

In this particular post, he ties together some ideas about Sabbath and Mission that are worth repeating. Here’s a small sample:

In the ancient world, humans were typically considered to be the slaves of the gods who exist for their pleasures as well as those of earthly kings. The modern world has substituted new mythologies, but not the end results. Yet the biblical narrative from the beginning announces that disorder and chaos are not the inevitable verdicts in life and reality. Moreover, “very goodness” is not even the pinnacle. Instead, the biblical narrative of Creation ends with God ceasing from work. God rests. God blesses the Sabbath and sets it apart from the other days. God models rest for the remainder of Creation. Sabbath follows work; work does not follow Sabbath. Sabbath is a reminder of God’s creative work. It invites humanity to work meaningfully and purposefully for six days and then pause as the Creator did to remember and honor God’s work.

Public Phone Etiquette- a post from You Are A Grown Man

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:42:33 -0400

Public Phone Etiquette- a post from You Are A Grown Man:

A great article on setting boundaries on use of your 4G space phones. Feel free to send this to friends you think may benefit from reading it. The Rubik Cube rule is a great litmus test.

Sarah Jaffe’s album Suburban Nature is just a great album....

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:06:23 -0400

Sarah Jaffe’s album Suburban Nature is just a great album. Probably up there with Mumford and Sons for my favorite album of the year. It’s only $5 at amazon.com these days. Check it out.

Producing Art: One Priest's Take On It

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:00:00 -0400

Producing Art: One Priest's Take On It:

I found this on Scott Erickson’s blog; he’s a resident artist at a church in Houston. Yes, you read that right: a church has a resident artist. Why spend the resources on this kind of position/venture? His art may answer some of that question, but this quote from today by Daniel Berrigan, Jesuit Priest and activist, that he posts answers it much more clearly:

I can only trust the movement that is producing art, whether it’s poetry, or visual art, or dance, or music—it doesn’t make any difference. But there has to be that overflow that says, “We are on the move. We have enough to give and we’re going to give it. We have more than enough and we can give it.” So when my turn came for me and my friends to go to jail, we still wrote poetry and recited it to one another. We would meet on Sunday morning in the yard, and we said a poem we had memorized or written that week. We had Bible study going too. I don’t know where all that came from. As I look back, it was a very important and beautiful period together. It said, in effect, “They don’t own us. We’re not here on their terms. We have enough to give this to one another.” And that’s what we did.

You can really trust the movement that is producing that kind of overflow of the vessel—it’s getting tipped and there’s enough for everybody. And we call it art. We call it joy. The joy can’t be mandated, it’s just there or it isn’t there. And if the community is growing and deepening, it will be there. I’m convinced, it will be there.

Click the above link for the rest of the article, and find Scott’s online gallery here.

Sermon Prep: Daniel 5:1-31

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:43:00 -0400

I’m preaching again soon- this time on the story of Daniel, King Belshazzar and the writing on the wall. This summer’s journey through some of the great points in the Old Testament narrative has been pretty amazing for the people at Hope, and it’s put me in a place to preach texts that either have never preached from or would not usually choose. In this case, it’s both.

As I’ve done my preliminary readings and contextualization, I’ve realized that I have little real knowledge of the text of Daniel beyond his venture into vegetarian eating and the stories of the Lion’s Den and the Fiery Furnace (or to rephrase that, I’ve got the same knowledge of Daniel now that the average church-going 2nd grader does). So I’m beefing up on my Daniel-scholarship and looking for good resources if you know of any.

My two big speed bumps with this text so far:

what does this text really say to the original audience (and us)? and
how does this text tie into the whole story of the gospel? (or, perhaps to phrase that differently, how should I connect this to the big picture of the story of God?)

Insights are welcomed!

Thanks to everyone who made our wedding so amazing. We’re...

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:49:12 -0400

Thanks to everyone who made our wedding so amazing. We’re truly blessed, and had such a wonderful time with everyone. Once we get pictures back, I may post a slide show of things. We’ll see.

Epilogue to the LOST saga. I love this show.

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:22:57 -0400

Epilogue to the LOST saga. I love this show.

One of the added bonuses of working at Hope is that you learn to...

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:44:25 -0400

One of the added bonuses of working at Hope is that you learn to cook if you just pay attention. Today, Cott and I are tag-team smoking some pork butts and beef briskets for a meal for our friends in ministry at Meridzo in Lynch, KY. As we’ve developed our friendship with this ministry, we have also developed a heart for the people in the Tri-City area, and it’s a joy to partner with them in big ways and small. Drew and Leah are incredible people doing an incredible work, and the Kingdom is breaking in there.

So much of the ministry of Jesus took place around food; He always used the most elemental things to speak of the divine. I wonder how he’d use brisket?

(Oh, and there’s a theory around Hope that one of the reasons Jesus is coming back is because he’s never had pork barbecue. It’s not scriptural, but I think it’s kinda fun to think about.)

Video

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:17:20 -0400

Fighting the Urge to Belong

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:04:08 -0400

For those who’ve followed along both here and at other blog sites/FaceBook, the Hope Mission trip to San Pedro Sula was incredible. As I’ve talked to people from the team, it is still hard to put into words what we saw and experienced. Debriefing this experience will take a while, and the real impact of this trip will more likely be seen in our lives than in our stories.

As I’ve been back, I’ve wrestled with stepping back into everyday life and everyday rhythms. Part of this could be my own journey of faith; I feel more and more called to foreign mission as I grow. But the real struggle, the real fight, is not allowing missions to be constrained to “what I did on (fill-in-the-blank) trip to (some-foreign) place”.

I read a great post yesterday by David Paul Dorr, where he challenges his readers to view every action of the Church (meaning the living organism that is the Body of Christ) as mission. He states,

“It’s hard to think like missionaries. It is not intuitive to see the world where WE LIVE as missions. After all, it’s home. We speak the same language, we wear similar clothes, listen to similar music. But we have forgotten, or maybe never learned, that we are really different. This culture doesn’t share similar assumptions about God, man, justice, love, righteousness, etc. We don’t have a common language anymore for these concepts.”

I thank God for trips like the one we had, because it underlined something I easily forget in my day-to-day life: choosing to serve Christ means that you will always be set apart from this world. It should never completely feel like home because the Kingdom is both already and not-yet.

And I have to resist my natural tendencies to make a home here and try to belong or blend in. Mission sets you apart (or makes you holy), and this holiness is sacrificed when I choose to fit in here. The mission of God will always be counter-cultural in some way, as will the people of God in whatever cultural context they find themselves in.

Even, and perhaps especially, in the culture in which they should most easily blend.

I’m chasing the Aaron Strumpel recommendation with a the...

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:51:58 -0400

I’m chasing the Aaron Strumpel recommendation with a the title song from the Blackthorn Project’s newest release, Reckless. If you liked Aaron, you’ll dig this project, too.

When I lived in Baton Rouge, I occasionally got to visit a great...

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:38:01 -0400

When I lived in Baton Rouge, I occasionally got to visit a great church there called Grace Life Fellowship. Their pastor, Frank Friedmann, has always been an inspiration to me and a great pastor to many dear friends of mine.

I remember on one occasion, Frank talking about moments in worship where lifting your hands wasn’t enough; that at times, you need to lift a defiant fist against our enemy, against the kingdom of this world, against even the parts of ourselves that seem unstoppable and sure to win.

Jesus has overcome. His Kingdom will reign forever.

This week has been full of moments where it seemed like the Kingdom of God had all but lost to injustice, sickness, poverty and death. Yesterday, Bo and I carried a woman from our distribution center back to her house in Los Bordos; we carried her because the Dengue she contracted had weakened her to the point where she could not make it back to her house. Our medical team had done what we could, but she was tired of fighting and needed medical care that she doesn’t have access to.

Bo and I traded carrying her the distance to her house. When we arrived, her house was locked, so we waited with her to prevent theft of her food and medicines while someone went to find her father, who had the key to her house there. As we stood waiting, I kept thinking about the gospel, and how foreign and even absurd it seemed: to preach that death had been conquered to a woman who was dying.

Yet, it has been defeated. The Kingdom of God is still breaking in. The Light of God will shine when all else fades. I found myself making that fist in my heart, holding it up against the darkness of Dengue and the doubt in my own thoughts:

“He has risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and on those in the tombs bestowing life!”

This is our hope. All I could do was clinch my fist around that and hold it up.

This trip has changed me. It’s changed us, to the point where many of us don’t know how to be this version of ourselves. And that’s a good thing. I covet your prayers, as I’m still wondering what this means for my tomorrows.

Footage from the food distribution yesterday in Los Bordos.

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:57:19 -0400

Footage from the food distribution yesterday in Los Bordos.

"I know that I have began to sound like a broken record, but this week has been unexplainable. Just..."

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 08:55:46 -0400

“I know that I have began to sound like a broken record, but this week has been unexplainable. Just when I think I have experienced all that I can handle, God puts me in a new situation. He continues to push my mental envelope and the emotions that I have felt. I have struggled with the level of injustice, my heart has broke with the amount of poverty, and I have broken down at the sight of the homeless. I have felt anger, frustration, helplessness, and sadness. But, in every event and circumstance I have seen the Holy Spirt at work through people and I have seen God’s grace, mercy, and faithfulness in action. I have run the gamit of emotions, but I sit here on our final night of ministry and feel blessed to have been a witness to God’s work.”

- Bo Cracraft, a fellow team member here in Honduras. Read more here.

Unclean. In the Gospels, we often find Jesus talking to,...

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:25:24 -0400

Unclean.

In the Gospels, we often find Jesus talking to, interacting with, and even touching and healing the people of his world that were considered unclean.

These are the feet of a man we met yesterday at Manos Unidos. He works in the watery streets, delivering packages and finding odd jobs to get by. He owns a pair of shoes and a pair of socks, both of which are regularly wet and never leave his feet, ut of fear that they may be stolen while he is sleeping.

Seeing Chuck, Roxanne, Sandi and Elise help this man with his feet, along with many others who needed medical care, reminded me of Jesus’ compassion for those deemed unclean. Some were deemed so for breaking social codes, and others simply because they were, indeed, unclean. But this never stopped Jesus.

As these men and women poured into Manos Unidos, we encountered a world we’d never seen before; prostitution, drug-addiction, the homeless and helpless. Tim, Kevin (our translator) and I cut men’s hair yesterday. It is a stretch to say that I have any hair-cutting skills whatsoever; luckily, they only wanted a certain guard length (3,2,1 or no guard, my speciality).

One of the men in my chair was mentally destroyed due to huffing glue; as he sat,a shell of a man, and I shaved his head, I found myself wondering: can Christ really do anything for this man? And the Holy Spirit quickly responded to me: well, a haircut is a start, and there’s a meal at 3:30…

I have so far to go. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Pray for Shari and Terry and the ministry of Manos Unidos. They are touching the lives of the untouchables of San Pedro Sula, and they are doing so with the same boldness of Jesus. We were blessed beyond measure to serve along side them yesterday.

His Provision Will Be Seen

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:05:40 -0400

Yesterday was another incredible day in San Pedro Sula. Each day we’ve been here, we’ve been in different situations of ministry where service or testimony ended up being tailor-made for our team. It reminds me of how the Lord lead Israel through the desert, going ever-before them by pillar or cloud.

For example, one of our stops yesterday was at the town square. There, it is usually required to have a permit to speak publically, though this rule is seldom followed. However, depending on which police officer finds you first, you can either be given permission or denied, and often with gringo’s involved, denial and bribery is the norm.

When we stepped off the bus yesterday and began walking around the square, looking for a place to set up shop, the first police officer we saw approached Justin quickly, then embraced him. Apparently, they’d met this man before, where he was on duty at the stadium there, and had prayed for he and his son. This man created space for us to set up, even moving some things around so we could have the best area of shade for the audience to sit in.

We saw salvation there and prayed for healing. It was a powerful time, and there was an extra confidence about us because we had already seen God go before us, making his provision clear and sure.

As I’ve thought about that simple but profound fact, that God has gone before us in the path that he calls us to, I’ve been convicted as to how often I lose sight of this. His faithfulness to provide in a way that will be seen does not necessarily mean I will see it before I move in faith. These moments are a gift, and a reminder that the Lord is faithful.

I’m also thankful for the Christ who has gone before us, the author and pioneer of our faith, the one who conquered sin and death, that we too may know this victory through his son.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. (2 Cor 2:14)