When Two Worlds Collide
It’s so hard for me to write when things seem to be crashing down. The last thing I want to do when fighting a lion is pick up a pencil when I need a sword. It just seems to be anti-climactic to write something about fighting the good fight, when all I want to do is wave a white flag and ask for a truce for a few days. Some times I just want a break, I just feel so mentally drained. It’s not physical at all, I feel like I could go play football all day or run 5 miles, but my mind is spinning so fast it tires out my entire body. It’s sort of like an overloaded washer. The clothes are in there spinning relentlessly but there’s to much in there and the pressure and weight of it all is pushing on the door, weakening the seal. When it finally gives, water and sopping wet clothes are going to be strewn all over the dirty floor and I’ll have to start all over again.
I heard the line of a new song on the radio which has been stuck in my head: “Maybe that’s what happens when a tornado meets a volcano”. I’m not even sure why it stuck with me, the rest of the song has nothing to do with anything I think about this lyric. I love the awe-inspiring beauty in the destructive forces on this earth: hurricanes, tornado’s, volcanoes, tsunami’s. I began to wonder what would really happen if a tornado really met a volcano. What would win out? Would the heat and explosive fire disrupt the wind forcing the tornado to disintegrate? Would the vortex of the tornado simply suck up the spewing lava rendering the volcano just a meek mountain? Or would the collision just force a peaceful calm? Would everything just stop, like a slow motion replay as such differing worlds collided?
In todays day in age I suppose I could just google it and find a scientific answer, but where would be the fun in that? Imagination is lost on this generation. Yet it is part of what is keeping me going. The thought that maybe the collision of two very different and volatile worlds could stabilize chaos intrigues me. God uses all kinds of things to grab peoples attention and maybe chaos is what I needed right now.
There was a discussion recently in my Bible Study group over the difference between trials and temptations. There isn’t one. The same situation is both a trial and a temptation, its the force behind it that’s different. What Satan is using to bring me to the point of rejection, Christ is using to bring me to the point of complete redemption. I’m reminded of the poem “footprints” yet again. All pissed off that Jesus wasn’t there beside him the man questions Him: “WHERE WERE YOU?! Those were all my tough times!” I feel his pain, the frustration of thinking you’re alone, that you can only trust yourself, that it’s time to do it on your own. Jesus responds, those are my footprints…when I was carrying you.
What a humbling moment. I’m left with this realization that when I “give up” and feel like I can’t go on the world is still moving and taking me with it. And so the question becomes, well how did I get to point B? And it’s at that moment I understand that I was being carried. Whether I wanted to be or not, I was. Whether I recognized that Jesus was doing it or whether I thought I was just plugging along all by myself(like the man in the poem), I was being carried. And that’s the awesomeness of the real Jesus. He loves each of us even if we aren’t loving Him back. He’s still walking beside us even if we ran off ahead of Him, and He’s still carrying us and looking out for us even when we think we’re the only ones looking out for our own well being.
Maybe two destructive forces only brings further chaos. Maybe it’s not going to get better for a long time for me. But I’d like to leave it to my imagination and picture my world in beautiful colors. I’d like to see my cup half full and let God fill it up, instead of worrying that I need to fill it up on my own. Removing that stress from my daily life makes living easier. He really can take on my burdens and work all things together for good. I just have to let Him.
Clarity Coming Down
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; ~Isaiah 40:31
I don’t fly very often but when I do I generally fly at night. The atmosphere seems quieter and I usually nod off until we land. On the rare occasion that it is day time, I’ve had the unfortunate circumstance of bad weather and cloudy skies. All this translates in to me not being able to see outside the window and enjoy the view.
Friday as I took an early morning flight to Denver the skies were clear across the country and the weather was beautiful. As I settled down in my aisle seat I realized no one was sitting in my row. I slid over to the window as we prepared for takeoff and watched through the small opening. Ascending through the sky I watched the boats in the harbor get smaller and smaller until they appeared as small specks on the horizon.
Throughout the flight I occasionally peered out the window at the landscape below. Everything was fuzzy. I could see shades of green and tans, and lines which seemed to be roads cutting through the country but clarity wasn’t there. I couldn’t make out the details and intricacies of trees, cars, buildings, or people.
I nodded off for several hours until the pilot came over the speaker to tell us we were about to make our descent. Again, sliding over to the window, I spent the remaining time staring out that little window watching the landscape change. Lower and lower, my eyes became clearer to the world below. I was able to see things for what they were, no longer blurred by distance.
When we put our hope in Jesus and Him alone He takes us to new heights. Here we experience peace about the troubles we are facing. The hectic and often frustrating world seems so far away as we bask in the glory of the Lord. We are soaring on wings like eagles, as Isaiah said. My problems don’t seem so big anymore, but appear like tiny specks on the horizon, fuzzy and hard to make out.
In Matthew 17 Jesus takes Peter, John, and James up the mountain where He is transfigured. Basking in the glory of God Peter blurts out “it is good for us to be here, let us build shelters”. But those shelters don’t get built. While it certainly is good to be in the presence of God like that we are called to be in lights in the world(Matthew 5:14) and so we must come down.
As the landscape was getting clearer staring out that window it hit me that coming down from that high with Jesus gives me clarity in my problems. Sure they are the same size, but I was flying so high He showed me how big they were to Him, which isn’t very big at all. And as I came in for a landing it was smooth and I was safe, just like He promised.
fuzzy lines
hola friends,
i had a brief, but great, conversation with my friend jeremy yesterday when he visited my workplace. we were talking about the bible and some of its apparent contradictions. since jeremy is the pastor of his own community in hingham i will not speak to anything he said, but as you might assume, i am not too shy to let the world wide web know my current thoughts on the matter.
a little background to start…i have, for a few years now, come to embrace the teachings, life, death and resurrection of jesus as the benchmark for which my life should be patterned (of course i fail. of course i cannot do it on my own). this is certainly not anything groundbreaking, but when it first occurred to me that jesus actually meant for us to take his word seriously my whole life changed.
as one who grew up in the evangelical tradition, i received (not so much from my parents) this idea of a grace that covers all of my sins and that doesn’t really require a whole lot of me.
**disclaimer** i must say that simply because i “received” this message does not mean that this teaching was necessarily preached everywhere.
it just seems to me that inherent in mainstream american evangelicalism is this overarching theme of cheap grace. ‘jesus died so that i can have life, and live it however i want.’coming to the realization that this wasn’t jesus’ message was a life-changing event for me. thank you dietrich bonhoeffer!
background over.
today, i am constantly finding myself in conversations defending the view that we, as disciples, take our marching orders from jesus. there are things that he taught his followers that seem so clear to me that aren’t necessarily as clear to others. as a result i have come to learn a much needed virtue…patience.
the most glaring issue for me (and one that seems most central to the life and teachings of our lord) is the teaching that we are to love and forgive our enemies, not only on a personal level but on a national level as well. i’m still not sure how people are able to separate these into two different realms. unless i’m mistaken, aren’t all nations made up of individuals?
folks will often quote romans 13 or some obscure passage in the old testament (where god is destroying his enemies) in an effort to counter, what seems to me, to be the very clear teaching of jesus to not only love our enemies, but to pray for them and even serve them. many of these same people also seem to fear that i am guilty of a heresy for preferring the teachings of jesus over a verse, taken out of context, in the letters to the romans or the corinthians.
in these situations i am usually called a “red letter christian,” meaning that i take the words of jesus as paramount over the rest of the bible. i just have to ask this one question. if i am guilty of being a red letter christian, what are the people who prefer romans 13 over matthew 5 to be called? black letter christians?
now i’m not sure that can be accurately described as a red letter christian, since i hold the entirety of scripture as the revelation of god. but i do believe jesus to be the image of the invisible god. and i do believe he came to give us life and show us how to live it, not simply to forgive us so that we can live and think however we see fit.
i have learned to approach these apparent fuzzy lines with grace and respect for others who don’t share the same views as i do. however, i am still convinced beyond doubt that jesus meant for his disciples to be of one mind on issues such as these. i don’t think he took love lightly, and i don’t think he intended for his followers to either.
though this debate will rage on until kingdom come, i think it is important in matters of apparent contradiction, that we find in the scriptures, to take seriously the things that jesus taught very plainly. he is not only our savior, he is our lord. he taught us to march to the beat of a different drum. just read matthew 5-7 if you don’t believe me. we are the light of the world my friends. we far too often disappear in the darkness when we adopt eye of and eye as our method of response.
it’s time for love and mercy to be the mark of his people once again.
-dave-
killing with integrity
i saw this sign on a church yesterday: “do you remember them? do you remember jesus?”
at first, since i’m a little dense, i had no idea what the sign was saying. then, my lovely and brilliant wife explained to me that it must have something to do with memorial day.
the sign reminded me of a question that i was recently asked by a fellow peace-seeking friend of mine from school. he asked me if killing another human being could ever be done with integrity. what do you presume i said??? probably not what you think. i said, “sure it can. adhering to a sense of morality doesn’t necessarily mean it’s christian morality.” he was thinking the same thing.
i believe it is most certainly honorable to fight and die for something you believe in with all of your heart. many people who have given their lives in the name of political or economic freedom throughout the centuries have done so for the sake of others, and we have certainly benefited from their sacrifice. however, is this the same morality that we have been called to as people carrying our crosses? in my opinion, the answer is an emphatic NO!
christian ethics have an entirely upside-down way about them. which is why following christ, oftentimes, seems strange and even wrong to folks who claim jesus as lord. think about it. when someone takes my jacket i should give them my pants? if someone pushes me around i should willingly offer them a clean shot at my face? this sounds ridiculous. but it is at the center of what it means to be a disciple of jesus christ.
can we really talk about the sacrifice of soldiers in the same breath as the sacrifice of christ? is wielding a weapon of war against an enemy in any way like christ’s self-sacrificing death for his enemies on the cross? we may be able to affirm the integrity of a man or woman fighting and dying for a cause in a kingdom of this world sort of reality, but integrity and honor look quite the opposite in kingdom of God reality.
one more gripe. i’ve often been called liberal or even cowardly for having these views. i hate to think that jesus was cowardly when he taught and lived this way, and would really like to know how taking jesus seriously and at his word lends itself to having a liberal view of scripture. just a thought.
-dave-
peace at the fcm
alive in this old town
a few weeks ago i was with my brother james in nashville, and we ended up writing a couple of songs. i wrote this one with easter on my mind. the very basic concept is that there is a way that the world functions. that was is violent and self-serving. Jesus gives us a way to be alive in the presence of death.
blood is calling from the ground. Christ came to breath life into that which was dead. those of us who know him are alive in this old town.
here you go:
everyone came out to fight
to save their land and protect their rights
they stole, they killed, they died
they took their brothers lives
but i’m alive in this old town
i’m alive in this old town
some were shown a different way
a way to build and not to break
they know the way of peace
by turning other cheeks
i’m alive in this old town
blood is calling from the ground
“you took my heart and cut me down”
but we got what we deserved
revenge has now been served
i’m alive in this old town
-dave-
This little light of mine
I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ~2 Timothy 1:6
I’m sure most of you have heard the song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! Hide it under a bush, oh no! I’m gonna let it shine…” and I pose this question: Why do we always make it little?”
We seem to do just enough to be Christian and just enough to conform to the world and not be labeled weirdos. In a world of black and white we live in shades of grey. Perhaps your grey is lighter than mine, but we fail to pick a side. Because of this our flame never gets any bigger. We keep it small, tend to it on Sundays and forget about it for the next 6 days.
Revelation 3:15 says “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” Christ’s wish for us is to be smoking hot! We each need to pick a side and my prayer and hope is that you chose Christ.
In his book “Not Peace but a Sword” Vance Havner writes:
A band of genuinely converted and Spirit-filled young people, yielded to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and witnessing by life and lip to Him could shake the world, and all the social benefits some are championing so loudly would follow as secondary benefits.
Shake. the. world. How about set it on FIRE! You want real change? It only comes through Christ Jesus.
The Lord has been slowly working on me trying to fan my flame and I constantly shield it from the wind, thinking I’m protecting it from blowing out. In all reality I’ve been snuffing it out from providing any real warmth. I can no longer hold back the will of God, the stone is rolling down hill and there’s no stopping it.
There is a desire in my heart to fan the flame of others. To get people desiring Jesus and moving out into their communities helping others. We need to stop hiding our little flames, start fanning them, and start catching others on fire for Christ. Time is running out.
all sins being equal
over the past few years it has become blatantly obvious to me that homosexuality is considered (by most religions) to be one of the greater sins of humanity. many who express this viewpoint often hide behind the ‘no sin is greater than another’ statement, but in truth, homosexuality often takes the cake in thought and practice.
with that in mind, i began to think about other sins that are tolerated and even glorified in our culture. some of you already know where i am going with this, so i might as well just say it…what about violence? murder? despising our enemies? revenge? these are all sins (according to the sermon on the mount and numerous other new testament passages) that are looked upon favorably in this nation of ours.
it is very clear through the teachings of Christ and his disciples that a heart bent on revenge and violence is one that is not centered on the kingdom of God. so, if all sins are created equal, why don’t we ever acknowledge military violence as sinful in nature? Many seem to have no problem with saying homosexuality and those who engage in homosexual acts are sinful, but are we as christians decrying the violence perpetuated by the hands of our military? where are the conservative/Bible-believing christians on this one? i guess we can just gloss over all of those “peace” passages.
let me be clear…i do not and cannot condemn the homosexual or the soldier. i am clearly not in a position to do so, and i am eternally thankful for that. i’m just saying that there is something wrong with the way we look at sin in western culture. when someone ‘comes out’ (no pun intended) in defense of homosexuality, claiming that the Bible is not clear concerning the subject, hoards of Bible-thumping christians come out against such defenders stating that they have a low/poor view of scripture or that they are reading with a false/heretical lens.
on the other hand, what if someone said, “hey, what about violence, revenge or hating our enemies?,” pointing out that there are scores of passages that consider such acts and postures of the heart to be anti-Kingdom of God? would those same defenders of the Bible agree, or would they instead fight for the “freedom” that this country affords them?
i want to say in closing that i respect many people who go to battle with the thought that they are laying down their lives for others. this is very noble and even Christ-like in some ways. however, my concern is that it is not the way Christ went about dying for us. no violence ever met his hands.
“he came to gather his people with no guns or money, but with his empty hands (lenny kravitz).”
-dave
old and new
genesis 4:3-11: “in the course of time cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. and the LORD had regard for abel and his offering, but for cain and his offering he had no regard. so cain was very angry, and his face fell. the LORD said to cain, “why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? if you do well, will you not be accepted? and if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
cain spoke to abel his brother. and when they were in the field, cain rose up against his brother abel and killed him. then the LORD said to cain, “where is abel your brother?” de said,”i do not know; am i my brother’s keeper?” and the LORD said, “what have you done? the voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. and now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.”
i am finally taking old testament survey at school. i have been trying to avoid it for quite a while, but it finally got me. as you would expect we started out in genesis, and i the story of cain and abel struck me in a way that it never did before.
i came to the realization that the first manifestation of humanity’s fall was jealousy, resulting in murder. simple, i know. but, this realization made a lot of things click for me. it allowed to understand salvation on a much deeper level than i had before.
so, here’s a quick idea of what i’ve been coming to understand…
the world the way we made it:
God creates everything good. we decide we can do as well, if not better without God. we bring death to a creation designed for life by choosing our own way.
violence and death run rampant in the realm of humanity (and in the animal kingdom).
humanity is bent on self-preservation. all we care about is ourselves and all we desire is our own happiness, no matter the cost to anyone else.
a now for something completely different:
enter Jesus. a new kingdom. a new way. a new death. a renewed life.
“you have heard that it has been said…but i tell you!”
in Jesus, God most powerfully displays for us his intentions for humanity. God’s blessing is now opened up to the whole world, and we are called to extend that blessing to everyone.
this new and completely different way, this salvation that we have come to know, is not just a rescue from a nebulous afterlife. it is a here and now life changer. it doesn’t place a stamp of approval on the old way of doing things. it gives us new goals and new peace that we can’t help but bring to others.
we are new people, with new attitudes and a new heart bent on love instead of self-preservation. this new and opposite way changes us into people who place others before ourselves (including our enemies).
there is no hiding from those who love this new way. they are lovers to their death, even if their death is caused by those who know not this new way.
apart from Christ there is only the way of death. the way of self-preservation. with Christ there life. that’s a kingdom i want to be a part of.
the rest is for the birds.
-dave-
mustard seed kingdom
mark 4:30-32 30 “and he said, “with what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? it is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
everything in this world is done to the max. $500,000,000 movies, 110 story buildings, double-decker planes, mega-churches, etc. Jesus came announcing something totally different.
Jesus gave us a way out of the empire. he gave us a way to escape the onslaught of massive production and hype. the lowest of the low are exalted in this mustard seed kingdom. everyone who is seemingly meaningless and insignificant will be called great and mighty.
i love this upside-down kingdom that is the polar opposite of what we have been taught to be the way, the truth and the life.
the way is not the pursuit of happiness.
the truth is not whatever our “leaders” tell us.
the life is not the path to money, power and fame.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. his kingdom is one that teaches us to love in an extravagant and unrelenting way. it is one that teaches us to judge ourselves over others. and it is a kingdom that brings a peace that cannot be understood or explained.
this kingdom calls us to die so that we can live. to be small so that he can make us big. may we find that death and embrace the suffering that the messiah embraced for all of us…
be as small as you can be.
-dave-
