Remembering January 1, 2012

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today.  You see, last year at his time I was in Nairobi, Kenya.  January 1, 2012 was a Sunday.  So I ushered in the first day of 2012 worshiping with my brothers and sisters in Nairobi.  It was my first cross-cultural worship experience and it is one I will never forget.  Here are some pictures from the day.  Enjoy!

 

Here's a picture that was taken following our worship gathering.

 

If my memory is correct, the message was on Acts 3.

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The church building is also a school building during the week.  Here's a picture teaching the different parts of the body.

 

 

And here's a compilation video of the entire trip. 

 

 

Lord willing, I'll get back to Kenya some day.  I'd love to take my entire family to experience the beauty of the Kenyan Church as well as the beauty of the Kenyan nation as well.  

 

Christmas 2012 with Our Church Family

I hope and pray that each and every one of you had a wonderful Christmas celebrating our King and Savior Jesus Christ.  My wife and I are about three hours away from our biological family so we do not always get to see them on the holidays.  This year, however, we had a gathering on Christmas day with some of our church family.  We gathered to share a meal together and enjoy the company of one another for the afternoon.  It was extremely enjoyable.  My wife and daughters, and of course myself, had a wonderful time.  Here are some pictures from the day.

 

Here's Layton and Louise, the happy Christmas couple.

 

Here's Paul and Russell.

 

And here's yours truly with Mr. John.

 

Here's two more brothers in Christ, Mike and Dan.

 

Here's my Emma and Ana, occupying their time so nicely.  Aren't they cute? 

Of course, I may be a little biased.

 

I have to show you a picture of our feast.  Ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli and rice casserole, corn, salad greens, homemade applesauce and warm biscuits.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it again.  :-)

 

And here they are, the two ladies with the biggest servant's heart I know, Ms. Audrey and Ms. Vera.

Thank you ladies for a wonderful meal and a wonderful time of fellowship.  I know my family was blessed!

 

And here's one final picture - the "family" all seated together enjoying the Christmas meal together.

 

 

This was a Christmas that I will not soon forget.  I'm grateful to my Lord and King, Jesus Christ, for this opportunity.  Most everyone who was present lives alone or is far from their biological family.  This was a nice time of fellowship.  How did you spend your Christmas this year?  Please feel free to share in the comment section below.

 

 

 

 

 

Can We Really Get Away From God's Presence?

In light of the tragic event which took place last Friday in Newtown, CT I have noticed a theme, which is actually not new, seemingly come back with a vengeance.  This theme pertains to the presence of God within our American school system.  This post will not be about the tragic event in the Sandy Hook school, or any other school, for that matter.  Others have already posted well thought out pieces on the tragedy at Sandy Hook so I will not attempt to add anything to those.

Whether it is a Facebook post or another form of social media, lately I have seen many comments from Christians resembling the following:  "Do you think it is time to put God back in our schools yet?"  Another one goes something like this:  "We took God out of school, this is what we get."  I believe messages such as these are not only wrong but they are misguided in a few different ways.

First, the idea that humanity has the power and ability to just relegate God to certain places and remove Him from other places is ludicrous.  Merely because the government passed certain legislation a number of years ago did not remove God from our school system.  We humans cannot make God do what we want Him to do.  He is God, we are not.  The idea that we can "remove" Him from any place is just false and perhaps even borders upon humanity setting itself up as god.

Second, I believe Scripture is pretty clear, God's presence is everywhere.  Look at Psalm 139:7-10 for example:

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I go from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

 

Also we could check out 1 Corinthians 3:16 which says:

 

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

 

 

And again in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul similarly writes:







Do you not know that your bodies are temple of the Holy Spirit,

who is in you, whom you have received from God?

 

 

I believe these verses are important for understanding the presence of God.  If we follow God's dwelling place throughout the Scriptures we can see further the importance of these passages.  According to Genesis, God dwelt in the Garden with Adam and Eve.  In Exodus God dwelt among His people in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night and He would meet with Moses in the Tent of Meeting.  Later He had His people build a movable tent, the Tabernacle.  This movable tent became the dwelling place of God among His people.  Later in history the first Temple was constructed in Jerusalem.  This was seen as the dwelling place of God's presence among the people.  After this Temple was destroyed a second Temple was built.  Then, Jesus came on the scene.  According to John 1:14 we are told that God dwelled (literally "tabernacled") among His people in the flesh of Jesus.  Jesus was the presence of God among His people.  Then, according to Acts 2, during the Pentecost event the church received the Holy Spirit.  As a result now the presence of God is among His people, the Church (those who believe Jesus is the Christ and confess Him as Lord). 

 

How does this very brief history of God's dwelling place tie into what was stated above?  If there are any Christian teachers or administrators working in a school, then God is present in that place.  If there are any Christian students attending any school, then God is present in that classroom.  Christians, those who have the indwelling Spirit of God, are never away from God's presence.  King David understood this when he wrote the words of Psalm 139 above.  The apostle Paul understood when he mentioned it to the Corinthian church not once but twice.

 

In light of this, I think Christians who make such claims that God is not present in a certain place are perhaps misguided as to the nature of God's presence.  Let us understand, God has not left any school or any other place.  If you are a Christ-follower then you carry the presence of God with you wherever you go through His indwelling Holy Spirit.  Perhaps it is easier for some to say such things.  Perhaps it's easier because maybe the church has not impacted the culture as we are called to do.  Perhaps it's easier than doing the hardwork of really examining the deep issue--are we truly being Christ-like in this broken world?  Perhaps...



Re-Thinking Christmas

Did you notice it?  It happens more and more.  The Christmas section at the local Wal-Mart was on display at the end of September.  While some Christians fight what is deemed a “War on Christmas” by some, I fear we are missing the bigger picture.  What good is it fighting to “Keep Christ in Christmas” if it doesn’t change anything?  I don’t think Christ would even be concerned over that supposed “war.”  I think his focus would be other places, such as the poor, needy and sinners of this world.  Each year consumeristic Christians look no different from any other Christmas shopper fighting the lines on Black Friday, thinking we will get the best deal on that gift for someone.  But is that why Jesus even came?  Is that what Christmas and the Christian life is all about?

     Let us not forget that Christmas is only a part of God’s overall plan.  Somewhere along the line the world received the notion that Christmas is “about me.”  That is only part of the overall picture.  The truth is found in Matthew 1:21—“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  When people read this they most often think, “Great!  God saved me from my sins.”  Yes, this is in fact very great news.  But this is only a small piece of the overall picture.  Who are “his people” whom Jesus came to save according to Matthew 1:21?  I believe the answer can be found in John 3:16—“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  In light of this, we can see that Christmas is not about me.  The point of Christmas is this:  God loved the whole world so much that he sent his Son to redeem all of it!  Peter points us in this direction when he mentions that God’s desire is for the whole world to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). 

     So then, what is the rest of God’s plan?  Let’s review for a moment:  (1) the heart of Christmas is the Incarnation—God taking on human flesh—and coming as a baby among us, (2) this baby will restore and redeem a lost, broken and sinful world to its original state and purpose, (3) then those who are redeemed will be sent out with this message (or ministry) of redemption and reconciliation.  Within the events around Christmas we catch a glimpse of God’s ultimate mission which has not changed since the beginning of time.  Today his Church (the people) get to participate in that great mission of God.  Just as God sent his Son to earth, he also sends his Church throughout the earth to declare his praises and make disciples.  Just one example can be found in John 20:21—“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’” 

     Buying gifts is a nice gesture this time of year.  I’m sure I will buy some gifts.  But what else will you do?  Will you do anything that has eternal impact?  Remember, the gifts we buy for family and friends are nice but they will ultimately end up in a landfill.  There are other options that can have a greater impact.  Here a just a few examples:

 

1.      Support a child through InternationalChild Care Ministries or Compassion International.

2.      Buy a cow, chickens, goats or another animal for a poor family so they can sell the milk, eggs or cheese at the market and develop a sustainable livelihood for their family.

3.      Donate to the Set-Free Movement and help free young woman and girls from sexual slavery and human trafficking.

 

4.   Buy a gift from SEED Livelihood or another similar ministry that will help sustain livelihoods around the world.

5.      Invite strangers into your home and share a lavish meal.

6.      Buy groceries for a family in your neighborhood.

 

What other gifts can you think of that may have eternal impact?

C.S. Lewis on Humanity's Need for God

It has been a number of years since I have read anything by C.S. Lewis.  One of Lewis' most memorable statements for me can be found in Mere Christianity.  In this quote Lewis aims at the heart of humanity's need for God:

     "What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could 'be like gods' - could set up on there own as if they had created themselves - be their own masters - invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside of God.  And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history - money, power, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery - the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.
     The reason it can never succeed is this.  God made us:  invented us as a man invents an engine.  A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else.  Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself.  He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on.  There is no other.  That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion.  God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.  There is no such thing."  (pgs. 49-50)

"But what about the children?"

A number of years ago I was a regular watcher of the animated show "The Simpsons."  There was a regular gag that was part of the show involving a woman (you never knew her name or anything about her) who would randomly step out of the crowd and passionately exclaim:  "But what about the children?!"  Sometimes in the life of the church I have heard these very words.

As a parent I can understand that raising children, while a gift from God, can also have moments of difficulty.  After all, nothing good comes easy.  But sometimes can we be too quick to "unload" our children onto others? 

I am a supporter of children's ministry and youth ministry.  I think they do have their place and can be very valuable.  However, I also firmly believe that it is not the job of these ministries to have the first priority in the discipling of children--that, I believe, belongs to the parents.  Occasionally I fear that parents, myself included, forget that God is also at work in the lives our young children.  We can too easily dismiss children and cite a lack of maturity, lack of understanding, etc. as reasons to exclude them from certain experiences.  I once heard someone declare (I cannot remember who) that the Holy Spirit does not come in child-size.  The same Holy Spirit that guided Jesus and the early church and every believer throughout the ages is the same Holy Spirit that is also at work in our children.  May we never forget that truth. 

Once again, we ask the question:  But what about the children?  There is an interesting verse in Scripture that can perhaps shed some light on this issue for us parents.  The verse is found in Acts 21:5.  We find Paul on his journey to Jerusalem and the boat he's on stops at Tyre.  While there they connect with the disciples in the area and before Paul's departure they all kneel together on the beach for a time of prayer.  Here's the verse:

"When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way.  All of them, including the wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray." - Acts 21:5  (NIV)

They did not make the women nor the children stay home.  They were included in the process.  One of the the best ways to both teach and learn involves modeling.  Can we model how to live out the faith for our children if we are always separating them from the mature believers among our church family? 

Let me provide an example from my own life.  This past Sunday was a 5th Sunday.  On the months that have five Sundays our church changes our schedule.  Instead of having two worship gatherings we combine for one gathering, then we share a meal together.  Following the meal we then go out and continue worshiping through acts of service in the local community.  Essentially, we gather then we scatter.  We also encourage families to serve together during this time.  This past Sunday my family went on a prayerwalk through a local community.  My wife and two young daughters (ages 8 and 4) joined us for the walk.  We were able to connect with a family and of course covered the community in prayer as we went.  My daughters participated and of course were witnesses to the behavior of the adults around them. 

When we returned home later in the afternoon I had to run to the local hospital to visit a couple brothers.  upon returning home I found my oldest daughter sitting at the kitchen table with her Bible opened and next to her Bible was a written prayer list which she wrote out herself.  When I asked her about it she proceeded to tell me that she was "having devotions."  I also found out that while I was at the hospital she went across the street to our elderly neighbor and asked her if she had any prayer requests.  After that, she went to another neighbor and did the same thing!  I couldn't believe it.  It was definitely a proud and exciting moment for her mother and I.  I asked her "What did you say?"  She replied, "I asked them if they had anything to pray about."  I responded, "What did you pray for?"  "I prayed for them to know Jesus and for __________ to feel better and for ___________ to be healed from their ATV accident."  Here's my eight year old going to our neighbors and lifting them up in prayer before God's throne of grace!  Again, let us not forget that the Holy Spirit does not come in child-size.  The Holy Spirit is one size fits all--even for the children.

Parents:  How do you model your faith for your children and how does your church body include children?  If you don't have children:  How do you model your faith for children in your sphere of influence?

Shane Claiborne: "The Myth of Redemptive Violence"

The following is an excerpt from Shane Claiborne's piece in the Huffington Post.  You can read the article in its entirety here.

What are your thoughts on "the Myth of Redemptive violence"?  Do you agree?  If not, where and why do you disagree?

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Even though western evangelical Christianity has not been known for its consistent ethic of life (as it has often been more pro-birth than pro-life, opposing abortion but not always opposing death when it comes to capital punishment, gun violence, militarism and poverty), Christianity throughout history has had a powerful critique of violence in all its ugly forms. One of the patriarchs, Cyprian (an African Bishop in the third century), critiqued the contradictory view of death so prevalent in our culture where we call killing evil in some instances and noble in others: "Murder, considered a crime when people commit it singly, is transformed into a virtue when they do it en masse."

Contemporary thinkers like Renee Girard contend that this challenge to violence inherent to Christ-like Christianity is, at least in part because, at the center of the Christian faith is a victim of violence -- as Jesus was brutally murdered on the cross. And there is a triumph over death as rises from the dead, a final victory over violence and hatred and sin and all ugly things. 

And yet, even in the face the evil that Jesus endured, he consistently challenged the myth of redemptive violence. He looked into the eyes of those killing him and called on God to forgive them. He loved his enemies and taught his disciples to do the same. He often said things like, "You've heard it said 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'... but I want to say there is a better way" and "You've heard it said, 'love your friends and hate your enemies' ... but I tell you love those who hate you ... do not repay evil with evil.'" He challenges the prevailing logic of his day, and of ours. He insisted that if we "pick up the sword we will die by the sword" -- and we've learned that lesson all too well. 

When one of his disciples picks up a sword to defend him and cuts off a guy's ear, Jesus scolds his own disciple, picks up the ear, and heals the wounded persecutor. Christian theologians have said Jesus teaches a "third way" to interact with evil. We see a Jesus who abhors both passivity and violence and teaches us a new way forward that is neither submission nor assault, neither fight nor flight. He shows us a way to oppose evil without mirroring it, where oppressors can be resisted without being emulated and neutralized without being destroyed.

We can take courage that Jesus understood the violence of our world, very well. At one point he wept over Jerusalem because it didn't know the things that make for peace. No doubt Jesus is still weeping.

And lots of us are weeping with him -- from Colorado to Kabul. Perhaps it's time for a united, nonviolent assault on the myth of redemptive violence. Perhaps it's time for us to declare that violence is always evil -- period. There is always a third way.