Some good questions to ask ourselves.
Created for “ONE GOD” series and used in services at Willamette Christian Church on July 3, 2011. Created by the irreplaceable Aaron Sternke.
Questions. Ask yourself.
Author Archives: Jeff
Uk trip: Renfrew. Finding hospitality in a royal burrough.
I’ve been remiss on writing up a reflection of our final day in Scotland. We arrived back in London late on our anniversary, It’s a challenge to move all these people around this island without some delays, and so we braced for a few. There were some sweet moments (like finding Kari’s sunglasses at the check-in desk as we boarded the plane — someone was kind enough to put them there after finding them someplace nearby). And there were some funny moments (like when about 100 newspapers previously handed out as we boarded the plane were eventually tossed into the rubbish bin; as an avid recycler from the ‘crunchy’ Pacific Northwest, I cringed). As I told the conference attendees, I am a people-watcher. Apparently, I watch what they throw away as well.
More fun than all that rubbish is watching what people value, that is, where they focus their time and energy to see cultivated. I mentioned the Burns family in Glasgow, who is endeavoring to see Glasgow flourish by the preaching of His Word and the praising of His Name (true to the city’s motto).
Our stay in Scotland was a quick jaunt, a mere 48 hours perhaps. The first half with the Scott and Monica Burns was followed by a night and day with Brian and Shauna Luse (and their amazing five kids). Brian was actually the first person we saw as we got off the plane in Glasgow on Sunday evening. With a smile and a hug we hopped into their van and headed to downtown Glasgow, on the west side. The Sunday night gathering of RE:HOPE was winding down, and we caught part of the closing responsive worship time. About 21 hours later Brian picked us up and we were off to Renfrew to get a glimpse of their life.
Although brief, both visits have stirred my soul. They let us peek in on their lives — and gave up much of their time — and we are better for it. I pray we were a blessing to them as well.
A sunny day in Scotland
There were many highlights at the Luse ‘mance,’ such as:
- Grilling up sausage on a grill donated by our home church; seems like we cooked up every sausage in the UK.
- Talking through life and ministry with Brian and Shauna late into the evening on Monday.
- All the kids choosing to sleep in one room, so we could enjoy a guest bed.
- Waking up Tuesday morning to Brian preparing pancakes and bacon and sausage; they celebrated our being there like it was a Saturday morning. All the kids stayed home from school to give us the full experience. (We missed our own kids all the more!)
- Playing Thomas the Train, imagining how I would relish the opportunity to do the same in short order with our son.
- Marveling at how Shauna cares for five kids (sixth to be born shortly!), and how they care for one another. Siblings were serving one another.
- The kids creating us KARI and JEFF necklaces out of their letter toys. Inventive and creative. (And generous.)
- Getting a sneak preview of Brian’s birthday present created by little artist Caileen, a couple days before the day.
In short, I left that time resolving to be a more intentional father, loving, caring… present. Brian loves his kids, leads his family, and set an example for me to follow. This is where discipleship takes place.
Renfrew is a royal burrough, which from what I am told, means back in the day they had unique authorization from the monarchy to organize a marketplace, for the buying, selling, and trading of goods. It would become a happening place to be, and a privilege to live there. Just down the River Clyde from Glasgow (westward, towards the sea), Renfrew these days looks positioned for a comeback. Business is booming; there were malls and construction all around, and it seemed that young professionals will want to settle down in this attractive city.
We are praying for the leaders and saints of Renfrew Baptist Church to be faithful to Christ’s call to be and make disciples, and for God’s grace to be upon them as He prospers them to be in the city, and because the Gospel is good news for all who encounter Christ, they shall be for the city.
Better than expected.
Few things in life are ‘as advertised,’ and far fewer are better than expected. As my wife often writes about, expectancy is better than having expectations. True Hope does not disappoint, though we live in constant disappointment it seems, a frustration on our ill-fashioned ‘hopes.’
This week Kari and I celebrated eight years of marriage, and I must say that life with her is better than expected. I did have ‘high hopes’ for our life together, yet the trajectory of our shared life, growing in gratitude and humility together daily, as Christ leads us, has been the true joy of this adventure. Here’s to eight times eight more years together in this life!
UK trip: a visit to Glasgow. How about pressing Snooze 17 times?
View from the Burns' flat
After the Single-Minded conference wrapped up, we said our goodbyes and take a ride with some new friends to the Stansted airport. Sunday night we hopped on a plane bound north to Glasgow, Scotland.
The story goes on, but I would be remiss to mention that on Monday morning I apparently hit ‘snooze’ on my phone 17 times. A normally-would-be-sleeping-in 7:00 AM alarm turned into a 10 AM wakeup. Apparently the jet lag was finally being overcome! We were spent quite well from the conference, which was a pure joy. And the second leg of our journey had begun. In Glasgow we are visiting two missionary families, friends we know from the States, and who serve alongside one another albeit in two uniquely different church contexts in neighboring cities.
The ever-joyful Brian Luse picked us up at the Glasgow airport and drove us to join the end of the Sunday evening service at RE:HOPE Next Generation Bible Church in west Glasgow (Partick neighborhood). There we joined in the worship gathering until greeted with a hug by our gracious hosts, Scott and Monica Burns. We met “Scottica” when they were two single seminary students back in Portland at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. As God crossed our paths, our hearts were knit, and we knew that any trip to the UK must involve a glimpse of life and ministry of both faith-inspiring families.
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A quick update from London (day 1).
I think we are now a bit rested, though we have been on the go every since we left for the airport at noon on Thursday. Right now it is 5 PM here, though it is 9 AM back home in Oregon. A hour ago we video chatted with our kids, as they begun their day. Nana is taking great care of them! (Plus, we are so grateful for some really helpful technology!) One great piece of technology was inadvertently left at home — our new digital camera is waiting for us on the kitchen counter. (Oops!) So, as a result we likely will not have many photos to share.
The Single-Minded conference is going very well. A full group of singles from around England, representing I think a dozen churches. They are eager. Eager to listen to the Word, to learn, to grow, to encounter God. I dare say that they are rubbing off on me too — and not just because the voice in my head as I type this is narrating in a British accent! They’ve shown me what it means to be a people of the Book. They’re eager to hear God’s words, because they want to know God’s will, His ways, His worth. They want Him. We’ve spoken much about how Christianity is a Person, not a set of principles. You can apply yourself to all the principles in the world, but they will not in and of themselves change a person. We need the power of a new affection; we need Jesus. We need to rescue (save) us, and to change us. And so we are seeking to do what one friend on our missions team reminded me before we headed this way: “make Him famous.” He is worth being known, and we are seeking to make much of Him. May His name be great in this place!
I’ve really been struck by the community-minded nature of our fellows Brits. Someone said they would be stand-offish. Uh, nope. At least not these Brits. In our brief time with this group, we’ve notice how friendly they are, welcoming even. They are not into pretense and especially not overly into themselves. What a cup of cold water this is for this foreigner come across the pond to speak with them. They have welcomed us like old friends.
For the conference, our text has been Psalm 27. We’ve been all over Scripture but the main text in the first three sessions (see summaries by scrolling down under the “London” tag) have taken us through the first five verses of Psalm 27. In a couple hours we will pick up verses 6-9 in our fourth session — WORSHIP: the joyful sacrifice. I must especially applaud our hosts, Matt and Diana Kottman, who are as gracious as they are hardworking. They labor to shepherd this group well. Wow. They are brilliantly generous and full of courage.
Connected: becoming obedient by cultivating intimacy.
For many of us, the changing tide of the economy heaves us into the search for meaning, for the eternal. And in this search, we find Jesus having dinner with his closest friends hours before his death. During that dinner, we see a mysterious breaking of bread and drinking of wine. Two thousand years later, he calls us to that same dinner, in remembrance of him. And so we partake. The sacrament beckons us into the blessedness of following after him. “I am the true vine,” he says. And we are his branches. “Abide in Me, and I in you.” (John 15:1, 4 NASB)
When we partake of Christ through the bread and the cup, it’s as though we inhale him into our very being, carrying him around with us, his presence powering our lives. He says that if we don’t abide in him, we will be like the branches that don’t produce any fruit; they’re cut away and burned, useless, meaningless.
Apart from Christ, the world is meaningless. Apart from Jesus, we are nothing. We can do nothing. “Abide in me,” he says. “See the world from a new perspective.” But
how do we abide?—
Kierkegaard helps us understand what it means to abide. He tells the story of a couple in love. The girl, seeing that her relationship with her beloved could be facing obstacles, asks him to wait for her. And he does. But what happens if the circumstances strain, making the wait too long? What if her beloved moves on? Kierkegaard says that when we cease to be loving, we were never loving in the first place. “For love abides.” (Søren Kierkegaard, Works of Love (New York: HarperPerennial, 2009), 281 – 82.)
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London » HOPE: the courage to wait.
What makes waiting so hard?
Psalm 27:13-14:
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
We mentioned the first five themes for the Single-Minded conference we are speaking at, beginning tomorrow near London: confidence, vision, beauty, worship. and consistency. The final theme:
#6 Hope: the courage to wait (Psalm 27:13-14).
We all are waiting for something. Not just singles. But it is true that many perhaps deep down still have the ache and longing for that glorious counterpart hand-picked by God. Whether waiting for a wedding or a job or a ministry opportunity or a change of scenery, we spend much of our life waiting. So we must learn how to do it well. God’s word is replete with exhortations to wait, and wait well. Will we wait on God or wait on circumstances? What is the difference and how can we tell? Here we’ll learn how to wait for the Lord with expectancy without expectation. With confidence and security we can be strong and let our hearts take courage and wait, wait for the LORD.
Married people can tell us how waiting for a spouse is a fruitless endeavor, for both husbands or wives make awful gods. Single people are not ‘waiting’ for their life to be meaningful, as if having a spouse is the end-game. (Or being in a relationship is all that matters.) Waiting for the LORD is the true joy; and because our Maker is our Husband, we can daily encounter the most loving, generous, courageous, and supportive spouse ever.
As Kari frequently writes, there is a world of difference between having expectations and living in expectancy.
London » the level path.
Consistency and stability are undervalued in our day. Why is that?
Psalm 27:10-12:
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
We mentioned the four themes for the Single-Minded conference outside London: confidence, vision, beauty, and worship. Here’s a preview of the fifth theme, with one more to follow.
#5 Consistency: the level path (Psalm 27:10-12).
Few characteristics are more critical to the Christian life than consistency. In our experience, the single life can sometimes be characterized by extreme ups and downs, difficulty finding balance, and a challenge to develop the kind of structure and consistency so necessary for long-term growth. Certainly married folks struggle here too, but are often forced into structure and consistency due to the fact that a family depends on it! The “freedom” of singleness can be both blessing and curse. Too much downtime can lead to sin or unhealthy habits. Lack of accountability can lead to laziness. Freedom and flexibility in a schedule can lead to haphazard patterns of life. So ask, “Teach me your way, O Lord,” and we pray that He will “lead us on a level path.” A level life is a life of joy and stability, the soil where godly fruit can abound.
Verse 10 has been included with this session, for a related point shall be made: no matter our family of origin, and even the effect in our lives of years of hurts, habits or hangups along an un-level path, we can become new people with a new trajectory — and a level path — in life. What ‘has been’ does not have to remain the norm. The Gospel takes the can’ts and wont’s and remakes them into new people — who are being made new daily by the Spirit. The Father has welcomed us. We are His children. He will teach us His ways. In this session we will look at the daily practice of abiding in the presence of the Father, and preaching the Gospel to ourselves continually.
Only a fraction.
“Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives. Many … have a theoretical commitment to this doctrine, but in their day-to-day existence they rely on their sanctification for justification … drawing their assurance of acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience. Few know enough to start each day with a thoroughgoing stand upon Luther’s platform: you are accepted, looking outward in faith and claiming the wholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground for acceptance, relaxing in that quality of trust which will produce increasing sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude.”
—Richard F. Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 101 (emphasis added).
- Read chapter 1: Renewal as a Way of Life [PDF], or see a preview on Google Books
London » The joyful sacrifice.
Worship is our joyful sacrifice.
Psalm 27:6-10:
6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
9 Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.
We mentioned the first (confidence), second (vision), and third (beauty) themes for our speaking in London. Here’s a preview of the fourth theme, of six:
#4 Worship: The joyful sacrifice (Psalm 27:6-10).
Like beauty, we’ve missed the meaning of true worship. True worship, in Spirit and in truth, should encompass all of life. We worship through our work, our words, and our witness to the world (1 Peter 2). And as God delivers us from every evil, on a daily basis, our response should and will be a joyful sacrifice of praise. A loud sacrifice of praise – one of shouts and singing. We see from Psalm 27 that worship should be 1) Sacrificial, 2) Joyful, 3) Musical. The greatest battles have been won by worship in God’s Word, and our greatest battles demand that we not forsake this critical spiritual discipline in our daily lives.
Facebook domination.
Facebook is the McDonald’s of Social Networking. With more than 650 million active users, the social media site has become the choice of online connection around the world. (The U.S. is increasingly saying “I’m Lovin’ It”: more than 42% of Americans have a Facebook account.)
So, how has Facebook spread?
Vincenzo Cosenza has given us a new edition of the World Map of Social Networks, showing the most popular social networks by country, according to Alexa & Google Trends for Websites traffic data* (June 2011).
Below you will find an infographic poster of all changes since June 2009. You can also see an animated version of all his maps.
Cosenza writes:
Facebook is slowing gaining users around the world (almost 700 millions) establishing its leadership in 119 out of 134 countries analyzed (in this edition I’ve added Ethiopia and Tanzania).
Since December 2010 Zuck’s creature has conquered Iran and Syria, although struggling against censorship. Europe has now became the largest continent on Facebook with 205 million users (Facebook Ads Platform).Probably Netherlands and Brazil will be the next countries to surrender. According to Alexa Facebook is already the leader there, but Google Trends shows a different picture (I will change my map when the two sources will say the same).
Here’s the current social media landscape:
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Flying football.
Alaska Air commercial featuring Portland Timbers head coach John Spencer:
http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/dhlhV0iCsgM?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0
Awesome.
Here in the States we call this game “soccer,” and instead call “football” a game that only involves using one’s feet to kick in the margins of the game: to begin halves (kickoffs), when you’ve given up your turn (to punt), want to grab a few points (field goal), or just scored (point-after-try and then another kickoff). All of the kicking in football happens in “special teams.” In professional American Football (the NFL) those teams practice separately, have special coaching staffs, and run their own special plays. It’s kind of an oddity. Football fans like to crack jokes about “soccer” — that the game is boring, there’s not enough scoring, and the game is too long. In reality it is our “football” that is a little bit silly; consider there are only about 11 minutes of game action in an NFL game. A whole lot of grown men standing around; and then running into each other.
Even over here in little America there are avid football fans. (And by “football” I mean “soccer,” which is the true football). Listen as Portland Timbers fans all join in together for a chant: “You Cannot Stop Us … We Are The Rose City”:
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