Author Archives: Jeff

Children’s book review: Simon and the Easter Miracle.

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Simon and the Easter Miracle: A Traditional Tale for Easter, a hardcover children’s book written by Mary Joslin, and illustrated by Anna Luraschi [Kregel].

About the book: The gospels tell of Simon of Cyrene—”a man coming in from the country”—who was ordered to carry Jesus’ cross. Over the centuries, his story has been woven into a Polish folktale. In the tradition of The Three Trees this folk tale gives a fresh perspective on the Easter story. When Simon the farmer brings his wares to market, little does he expect how he will be involved in the events of that very special day, nor how his items—bread, eggs, and wine—will become important symbols of Jesus’ passion and resurrection, remembered throughout the ages. (Intended for ages 5-7.)

The book arrived in February, and so we read it together one evening last month during family story (and “snuggle”) time. This week we picked it back up and the kids instantly recalled the whole story.

Our kids (five and three) became really interested in the story of Simon and the implications for Easter. Last night they asked to read it again. This morning our son (a bibliophile; it runs in the family) sounded out the words on the cover during breakfast, and was especially interested in the name “Simon,” which led to a discussion on the differences between Simon of Cyrene and Simon Peter the Apostle. The value in this book is revisiting it, more than getting through it one time. (Connection and communication is as important as content in teaching your children.) This is true of all Gospel stories. We shall never grow tired of discovering the true of Jesus.

The illustrations are masterfully done, realistic and inviting. Each scene highlights actions accompanying the narrative. (See and read an excerpt [PDF]).

20120330-101350.jpg Continue reading →

 

How do we grow after we realize our need to change?

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We often talk about our long-term plans for achievement. What about pursuing long-term obedience and change over time?

When we feel conviction from God and desire to change, expecting immediate change can frustrate us. Here Ken Wytsma (lead pastor of Antioch Church, founder of The Justice Conference, and president of Kilns College) talks about our need to return to the spiritual disciplines as we pursue long-term change.

How do we grow after we realize our need to change?

How do we grow after we realize our need to change? from :redux — askquestions.tv

Obey right away, cheerfully, and see God grow you into the image of His Son Jesus. By the Spirit, through grace.

(Of course, we should mention that getting to a place where you truly desire to change — that is to change your character and not just get a new set of circumstances — is no small feat. From that place of discovery a whole new world of change can be found, which is an endless adventure.)

 

Sustainable Ambition. (Or, when the words of culture complete the words of faith.)

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Earlier this month a colleague told me I have the habit of using “secular” words to describe biblical truth. He meant it as a compliment, and I received it as one.

Not everyone expects their leaders, and especially not their pastors, to be well-informed about what goes on “out there.” We expect our pastors to be experts on many things, especially “religious” things, yet the least of these is what we call “daily life.” So, what I’m learning, is that when a pastor uses everyday jargon to describe truths found in the Bible, it takes a moment for the crossover effect to kick in. Yet the long-term benefits far outweigh the momentary obstacle. (And I’m not talking about being trendy, hip, cool, or other attempts at being “relevant.”)

Why do I use words like ambition and sustainable to describe Paul’s vision for the Christian life (as described in Colossians 2:6-7)?

Isn’t “ambition” bad when it rears its ugly head in the church? And “sustainability” sounds like one of those catchwords only an earth-worshiping environmentalists would say as they tell me about global warming.

Nope and nope.

  • Ambition, when given God, is neither selfish or destructive. When He does a great work for us (by the Gospel), and in us, and through us, then the ambitious work of God will bring great healing and hope to a broken and lost world. Selfish ambition is the great enemy (Philippians 2:1-5), which Jesus defeated for us by emptying Himself, with the greater ambition to live as a Servant and joyfully do all of God’s will. God is ambitious. More than we’ll ever know.
  • Sustainability is no mere buzzword to be employed by environmentalists (of which I am one, and think Christians should be, but that’s another discussion for another day).

Think about the day before you go on vacation. How fun is it to meet all those deadlines, set things up for your colleagues to succeed and your customers to be taken care while you’re gone? Then waking up in a cold sweat on the morning of your vacation as you remember “just one more thing” you must handle before leaving on that jet airplane. What about you and your smartphone being the reason the plane can’t take off, because you’re still on your phone as the doors close at the gate? (I was that guy recently. Sorry again to Alaska Air flight 861.)

Is working each day like it’s the day before vacation sustainable?

No.

Rather, we toil long and hard so that when we go to play, we are free from our other obligations. Then think about your vacation time, of lounging around, reading a good book, taking in the sights, eating out for lunch and dinner, and caving into the urge to buy that trinket you know won’t make it home in one piece. Is that sustainable?

Neither state is sustainable — from being only a producer (making things and money), and then switching to consumption mode (taking in experiences, food, etc.) — which is why sustainability makes sense when we talk about following Jesus. Otherwise we’ll have a passion ambition to “do something great for God.”

As a pastor I daily encourage to focus on the great work Jesus has done for us, which becomes what He does in us as we trust and obey Him. His work is not yet complete as He does this same great work through us.

Jesus calls us to follow Him fully, as ones rooted in the faith, built up, strengthened, taught, and overflowing with thanksgiving (returning to Colossians 2:6-7). Paul used everyday words from daily life that evoked pictures of reality they knew well (walking, growing like a plant or tree, the realm of construction, laying a foundation, learning in a classroom, and flooding like a river, to name six in those verses).

What’s the real reason I use words like that?

Because we are hard-wired for compartmentalizing our faith to the “spiritual” side of life, and then getting on with our “real” lives. And pastors can be terrible enablers in this. Know this: Jesus will have nothing to do with that split duality. He gets right at our heart issues, not content to deal with merely our felt needs. (With that impulse in mind, my wife daily writes on the Sacred Mundane, because everything matters, not just our so-called “spiritual” life.)

 

It’s World Water Day (and you can help).

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Imagine waking up this morning without water.

None. No water from the taps. None in the toilet. None in the shower. None in the washing machine or dishwasher. None in the sink.  None in the fridge. No ice in the freezer. No water.

What would I drink? How would I wash dishes, clothes, myself? How would I brush my teeth, flush the toilet, get clean? How would I cook? You’d quickly begin to panic, yes? Even writing that paragraph made me feel thirsty. You’d quickly become consumed with finding water. Your thoughts would be filled, and you’d immediately rearrange your entire day around the sole purpose of finding water.

But what if you had no car? And no store in which to buy water? For me, that would mean walking three miles down to the Willamette River. Most people I know won’t even swim in the Willamette much less drink its water–it’s filthy. But supposing I did successfully get myself down to the river, carrying just five measly gallons of water back home the three miles straight up Hidden Springs hill would be virtually impossible. Just 5 gallons of water weighs almost 42 lbs. Now, that 5 gallons is the average usage for Africans each day. (The average American family of four uses 400 gallons of drinking water a day.) That little trip right there that I just described would take all day, leave me exhausted, and would need to happen every single day.  Not to mention my children. There’s no way they could hike those 6 miles. I’d have to leave them at home without supervision, every single day.

That’s all just for 5 gallons of virtually undrinkable water.

My point? We wouldn’t survive without clean water.

This is the reality for 1.2 billion people in our world today. As many as 5 million people die every year of water-related illnesses. A child dies every fifteen seconds of a waterborne disease. It’s a no-win situation. Children either die for lack of water or die because the water they have isn’t clean. The problem feeds every other problem. Women and children cannot work because they have to spend all day fetching water. In developing countries women and children invest two hundred million hours a day to fetching water. That’s equal to a full-time workforce of twenty-five million people fetching water eight hours a day, seven days a week. Children can’t go to school. Without water humans cannot work, cannot learn, cannot function. Without water we can’t even think.

And yet it’s one of the easiest ways we can help.

For three simple ways to help, read the rest at Sacred Mundane …

 

Where do you go to read people?

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Image: Sura Nualpradid

I love reading books. As a theophile, I could spent everyday reading something good, no matter if I’m vacationing or officially working. A good read for work becomes a joy to read when I’m “off.” I relish the challenge of, well, being challenged, and great thinkers lead my mind to begin to make sense of the world, which has been shaped by God’s Word. There’s never enough time to read a good book, but that tension leads me to engage, not escape, the world. So, I love reading people.

Twice a week I go to a regular “third space” (read: coffee shop) to read, write, think, plan, and meet with people. Usually the time connects to a meeting with someone, where the content of our conversation is okay to be spoken in public (otherwise we may meet in confidence at my office). It’s my office-away-from-the-office, and many times people see me and joke that I’m “always” there.

The baristas and I have a whole metanarrative of stories and jokes at play, and many of them have confided their hopes and dreams to the “digital pastor” who somehow has no set “regular” drink to order. In that place it’s fairly easy to notice some trends. While sitting for an hour nearby one can tell who the gracious customers are, and who is merely putting up with the whole production to get what they want. Reading people can be fun.

Of course, some people cannot stand the noise and prefer to get their triple shot venti mocha blah blah and drive away to the private comforts of their own space. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed a low rumble of noise around me, which helps me focus, rather than get distracted (no idea if it’s ADD or the total opposite.) A while back I did a quick calculation and realized that while studying engineering as an undergrad I spent more than 3,000 hours studying in a coffee shop. It was always noisy. Sorta like in that way.

On Fast Company’s Co.EXIST blog a recent feature noted the findings of researchers making sense of why ditching the office could help one be more creative. In the words of the researchers:

“A moderate distraction, which induces processing difficulty, enhances creativity by prompting abstract thinking.”

They noted that high noise levels make for a terrible environment (unsustainable even, I might add), and low noise can actually make you strain to tune out the whispers all around. There’s a “just right” level of distraction that helps us focus. As I have no problem thinking abstractly, I go to public spaces around people to help me think more concretely as well.

People animate the dreams, hopes, fears, and values they embody in their daily stories, which as a pastor I need to know. A lot can be learned by watching someone interact with others in even the most mundane setting as a coffee shop. Especially if you went there not so much to watch them (which could be creepy) but to watch God at work, and to join Him in that great work.

God knows, and has always known, everything about us. Yet, where did He go to read people? He came to earth, to live the life we should life and haven’t, and to die the death we all deserve, but don’t have to endure. Dare I say that Jesus was not content with reading people from afar? He desired to enter into their sufferings and their joys, to know grief and endure it patiently.

In the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus we see where and how Jesus went to read people. To that same place, and only there, we are invited to read God.

 

Hard to share: don’t want to be all ‘preachy’ when sharing your faith?

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Do you find it difficult to share about Jesus with others?

You are not alone.

Jonathan Dodson writes in the introductory article for a series, “5 Reasons It’s Difficult to Share Our Faith” on Gospel-Centered Discipleship:

Very often we find it difficult to share our faith. Whether we’re in the workplace, neighborhood, or a social setting, talking about the person and work of Jesus doesn’t come naturally. There are some good reasons for this.

Dodson begins the series with the first one:

1. What if I’m Viewed as Preachy?

Preachy Christians often turn people off not onto faith in Christ. Think of Angela from The Office, the street preacher, or maybe the free speech fundamentalist yellers on campus in college. I remember watching them. They stood on a box to yell. Leading out with hell, fire, and damnation not grace, forgiveness, and salvation.These Christians all share something in common—self-righteousness. If we’re honest, we all have a bit of this in us, but with these figures it’s amplified. We hesitate to talk about Jesus because we don’t want to be associated with them. We’re concerned it would turn others off. But preachy self-righteousness isn’t just a turn off; it’s the opposite of the gospel. This brings into focus our first, principal concern:

We should avoid preachy self-righteousness because it communicates something opposite to the gospel.

Self-righteousness is rooted in pride and greed, no matter how religious or sincere we are, and thus when we are self-righteous will won’t be generous with the words of Jesus. Instead of representing Him, we will default to representing ourselves.

Dodson continues by exploring “How Do We Change the ‘Preachy’ Perception?”

Now, there’s also a critical response to this concern. While it’s true that we should oppose preachy self-righteousness (because it obscures the gospel of grace), it is also true that the gospel offends our own self-righteous sensibilities. The gospel reminds us that we don’t have what it takes before a holy God, that Christ alone has what it takes, and that he’s died and risen to give it to us.

The gospel is offensive; it lifts up a mirror and shows us who we really are, but it’s also redemptive; it lifts up Christ to show us who we can become.

How will this incorrect view of Christianity be corrected? Actions might remedy a perception of personal self-righteousness, but they can’t correct a religious view of the gospel. Only words can clarify the meaning of the gospel. Yet, there remains more difficulties in sharing our faith. In the next article, we will consider the concern that we first have a relationship before sharing the gospel with other

  • See the whole article on moving from preachiness to embodying the Gospel and speaking confidently, humbly, and honestly.

(Re-posted from igrowhere.com)

 

[in]complete: Why didn’t Jesus simply come and out and say “I am God?”

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The first Christians did not get in trouble for saying “Jesus is God.” The Romans believed in a myriad of so-called “gods,” so saying Jesus is another one of those is just to add Him to the pantheon of supposed gods they could worship. That wasn’t the offense of their message.

Instead, the message was “Jesus is Lord,” which is much deeper and far-reaching in the claims about the God-Man (and is “sneeze-able“).

Those three tiny words were actually hugely offensive. Why?

Who was the so-called “Lord” of the Roman Empire?

Caesar.

He was the “God of the gods,” who ruled over all, on earth and in the heavens. Or so they thought. Pagans saw gods in everything, and everything was a god. So, calling Jesus “God” isn’t as forceful as what believers more commonly called Him: Lord.

When we say Jesus is Lord, we must become like the first believers, who were not using religious jargon. They were saying that Jesus replaced Caesar, and anyone else, as the one receiving their worship. These thoughtful Jesus-followers were making a whole-life claim as to who they will obey and follow in this life. They were saying He is above all, the one true ruler, the God who calls the shots. He is in control of all; He is the Caesar of the Caesar.

More than saying “Jesus is Lord,” they were living as if Jesus is Lord, which maks all the difference in the world.

Jesus was not an add-on. They realized that before Jesus they were busy serving other kings and masters, who abused them and let them down. In contrast, Jesus is a good Master, who will not let us down.

He wants our whole life. When He is Lord, life becomes good. Because He is the one Good God.

Mark 12:13-17 (NLT):

 13 Later the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 14 “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us—is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or shouldn’t we?”

Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said, “Why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin,[a denarius] and I’ll tell you.” 16 When they handed it to him, he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

17 “Well, then,” Jesus said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

His reply completely amazed them.

Image credits: “Caesar’s or God’s” by Lawrence OP, and “The Biblical Tribute Penny: Tiberius AR Denarius 16-34 AD” by Icarus Kuwait, both on Flickr

 

Talk or Walk: Do we love with words or with works?

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What is the relationship between evangelism and social justice? 

Should Christians talk more about the good works of Jesus, or demonstrate their own good works? I’m convinced it is BOTH/AND, not just either/or, for Jesus came proclaiming the Good News (Gospel) He embodied in His whole life (see Luke 4:14-21).

Skye Jethani (editor at Christianity Today and Leadership Journal) points us to John Stott to help us navigate the ongoing evangelism/social justice divide:

“Atonement-only advocates demand that advocates of social justice justify their efforts. And justice advocates demand atonement-only advocates justify their emphasis on gospel proclamation. But, using Stott’s logic, if evangelism or social activism is flowing from a heart of love and compassion, than neither must be justified. Love is its own justification. As you engage this issue in your own community, do not get snared by the false dichotomy that declares either evangelism or social justice must be superior. Instead, let’s affirm whatever work God has called us to, whether that be proclaiming reconciliation or demonstrating it, as long as his love is found to be fueling it.”

 

I will add that evangelism that cares only for the eternal safety of another’s soul but not for that person’s flourishing in this life is not truly motivated by the love of Jesus. Let’s talk and walk at the same time.

[HT: Tim Høiland]