The Place of Education

“We need neither years of study nor thorough knowledge of both testaments to profit from lectio. As God’s penultimate revelation to humankind, holy Scripture is applicable to our lives and is the primary sourcebook for our devotion.” (From Soul Shaper p.37)

It seems that there are levels of meaning that can be found. The simple surface level of meaning from a cursory reading is available to all. And it is also this level that the Lectio Divina (devotional reading) exists because the Spirit seems to be doing more of the work than our minds. As the Spirit washes over us and speaks through the words, we can learn, grow and hear from God without a Master’s Degree in Theology.

And yet there are deeper levels or fuller understandings of the Bible. And just how does one get to those places? Back and forth we went on the GLCC Alumni forum about the place or need of education for Christians. One side repeatedly defended the simplicity of the Bible while the other side communicated the depth of meaning of the Bible that needs careful consideration to plumb.

I of course came down on the side of education. A completely different Bible has been opened to me because of education. It makes more sense. It fits together. Lights continually go on. It makes me want to read the Bible more and more. What is bad about that? Shouldn’t I want to share that with everyone?

Good education takes time and desire, neither of which most people have. Yet Paul makes it clear in his letters that he expects spiritual growth from Christ’s followers. Ideally, Christians should want to learn more about the Bible which in turn bolsters their faith. Unfortunately, that does not always seem to be the case.

So what is the place of education? Should only the ministers and leaders get more? What should we expect/ask from the congregation/“average” church member?

As you consider those questions, ponder the following from Thomas á Kempis:

“Do not read to satisfy curiosity or to pass the time, but study such things as move your heart to devotion.”

Spectatorship

Spectatorship (a blending of “spectator and “worship”) is ruining the worship experience within congregations every week. We live in a society that touts individual expressions of faith. We even hear such thinking make its way into our churches as we speak of our “personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” People start thinking in terms of what 'they' want from church. If they are displeased with their church experience, they do what people do in a free and capitalistic society -- they take their business elsewhere.

It is no surprise that most in churches see worship in the same light. That is why we see such fighting about worship styles because we want to experience worship in ways that most speak to us as an individual. Although we still worship "together", this overly individualistic emphasis remains. We see our own personal worship experience as just that -- personal. What happens in my mind, my spirit, or with my body during worship is my own business and affects only me. But is that accurate? I don't think so.

Unfortunately the Bible continually pictures the church as a unified body who should not be so interested in personal expressions of praise as much as communal expressions. We are linked to one another as the body of Christ in ways we don’t understand or perceive and what we do (or fail to do) has an impact on everyone else.

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it." - 1 Cor. 12:26 (NRSV)

I’ve read this verse many times, and usually I associate it with life circumstances. But when placed in the context of a worship service, it takes on an all new meaning. When people give themselves to heartfelt worship, not only is it discernable, it is contagious. Yes, but such heartfelt worship is not the only contagious thing found within our corporate gatherings -- apathy, stubborness, and spectatorship are also just as contagious... and deadly to congregational worship. These 'viruses of the soul' are threatening the healthy, corporate, worshipping of God.

When a fellow-believer sits in our worship gathering and chooses to remain apathetic, stubborn, or only a spectator, they are (albeit, unknowingly) exerting an influence into our corporate worship experience and affecting its outcome. Likewise, when all of the believers present are equally surrendered to God and eager to adore Him, this too exerts an influence which will affect the corporate worship experience.

We see it all the time at sporting events. Crowds get taken out of a game and everyone just sits on their hands. But a great play happens, and the people begin to rise and the volume swells as the cheering becomes infectious. This is the picture of worship. Somehow, we all need to recognize that how we live and how we serve and how we worship affects others in the body of Christ in profound ways we may never fully understand. Nonetheless, we must break free from the deceptive notion that worship is a personal enterprise, and we must begin to make choices -- not only during worship gatherings, but in all of life -- that take into account how our choices affect others.

A Sad Day

I had not planned on posting anything today (as I am working on a sermon for Sunday), but I wanted to ask for your prayers for a family that I don’t even know. I had a student in my OT class last semester that was a great guy. His name was Steven Hunter. He was kind, funny, and a good student. He even came over to watch the Michigan-OSU football game. Yesterday while working out in the field house at Milligan, his body underwent cardiac arrest and he died. He was only 20 years old. It is sad, sudden, startling. You can read more about him if you wish here.

He is the second person in the past year that I know personally that has died suddenly like this. It makes me consider the frailty of life. It makes me wonder what would happen if Carrie died like that or if I did. I am glad that I have the hope of my salvation, but I can’t help but hate living with the effects of the fall and separation from God.

Pray for the Hunter family. Pray for the students at Milligan. Pray for those who do not know the Savior, for we do not know when we will meet our Maker.

The State of the Church

I serve a church that has been losing some regular attendees (I shun the use of the word “member” because it has lost its meaning) over the last few years. Everyone has an opinion and a solution. I hear it all:
We need more stuff for the kids and the parents will come.
We need more contemporary worship.
We need more traditional worship.
We need a more charismatic preacher.
We need more biblically based teaching.
We need a new, more modern building.
We need more entertainment in the services.
We need more services.
We need fewer services that have more impact.

On and on it goes with everyone having a solution to the problem. But it seems that many of these “solutions” are merely temporary fixes that don’t address the real problem and eventually cause more difficulties. And many of these “solutions” are reactions to the competing priorities and detractors from church attendance.

In my estimation, the reason for the decline in many churches is that we have turned attendance into a competition. We are like a self-conscious teenager that constantly feels the need to be the best and prove him or herself. This happens through being accepted, and one is not accepted until they blend and fit in. So, as churches, we look around at the other organizations, groups and activities that vie for people’s time, we see what they are doing, and we copy it. We become little more than an organization of like-minded individuals that are seeking more members so that we can become the biggest group around.

And we do anything we can to grow numerically. We accommodate people’s schedules. We use guilt. We use promises that we really can’t make good on. We sell out the gospel by focusing just on what will bring people in (i.e. “fire insurance”). Though we don’t publicize this message, basically we are saying, “Come to church. We have everything the world has and more. We have salvation! They have death.” We try to one up the world with its pleasures and trappings, doing anything we can to get people to see the church as a better option.

We have all been around people who try to “one up” everyone else.
Someone tells a story about a beautiful sunset, someone else tells of an even better one at a more exotic local.
Someone tells of a great play in a basketball game they saw on TV, and someone else describes being at a game in person and seeing an even better play.
Someone tells of an illness they are struggling with, and someone else pipes in with his tale of woe that is even more gruesome and sad.

Back and forth they go, with that one person always trying to come out on top. Do you know what we call that person? Annoying. Repelling. We don’t want to be around them. And when all the church tries to do is top what the world has to offer, the world sees right through that. They find it annoying, not attractive.

Don’t get me wrong. I think we should use everything at our disposal to communicate the gospel. That is why I encourage video projection, instrumentation, new songs, compelling messages, video clips, etc. I also think we should do it with the highest quality possible because we are offering our sacrifice of praise to God. But when such “presentations” become a means to the end of more members, we are no longer making the Kingdom of God a reality. We are simply copying the world and engaging in a “pissing contest.”

Rob Bell drove this concept home in his book Velvet Elvis (page 165): “The church doesn’t exist for itself; it exists to serve the world. It is not ultimately about the church; its about all the people God wants to bless through the church. When the church loses sight of this, it loses its heart.”

I would add, “When the church loses sight of this, it loses passion and eventually, it loses people.”

Shrug it off

I hadn’t planned on posting today, but I got my ire up at an ETSU basketball game. Now let me say that I don’t have much of a fashion sense, and I don’t particularly care about fashion because I consider it to be a waste of time and money. But seriously, who designs some of this crap! Who sits around saying, this will look good. And then, who agrees with them?!?

Case in point, the new phenomenon “shrugs”. As the picture depicts, basically, they look like clothes that have shrunk in the wash and should fit a 6 year old, not a physically mature (or maturing) woman. Which is the problem. They look stupid and silly, but they also serve a much more devious purpose. Girls, do you understand why they are popular? They accentuate your bust line. It causes many guys to consider what you would look like with only the shrug on. Parents (moms especially), I know you may think they are “cute” but you are killing us males. So I implore you. If your little girl goes out and buys these outfits, make them take them back. I DON’T CARE HOW CUTE THEY LOOK!! You are contributing to the delinquency of the male species.

Maybe I am a prude or maybe I struggle with lust. Whatever the case, I think it is inconsistent for women to complain about being seen as sex symbols and then turning around and wearing (or letting their daughters wear) clothes like this. They are not jhust stupid, they are detrimental holiness.

The Peace of Christ

I wrote this over the Christmas break but am just now getting around to posting it. Hope it is encouraging because the next 2 I have are less so.

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At the Christmas Eve service I attended at Elk Rapids Baptist Church, an interesting question was asked and offered for those in attendance to respond. Simply asked, “What does Jesus mean to you?” As I thought about it, the first thing that came to mind was ‘peace’. I don’t mean the sort of tranquil, peace of mind state that many run towards that they think comes with accepting Jesus. I was thinking more of the lack of hostility between God and His creation and between the members of the human race. Peace of mind seems to be a secondary bonus that may or come from accepting Jesus. But Jesus is the Prince of Peace because he offers more than just a good feeling and more than a cessation of war and fighting. The peace I am speaking of is clearly portrayed in Ephesians 2:14-18 (NIV):

“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

Jesus’ peace provides the ability for people to finally relate to one another and to finally relate to God. It is a peace that surpasses understanding because we can’t comprehend how God could accept us. We can’t see how humanity could actually get along in the face of constant conflict. Yet the peace of Christ has destroyed these walls and brought everyone near to God and to each other. Praise be to God for this gift of mercy through Christ!

TCTC - 4 (final)

This will be the final entry based on TCTC. The speaker was John Stonestreet from Summit Ministries. They focus on training students in worldviews that are prevalent in today’s society and refocusing students onto a Christian worldview. Now, though I am not a big apologetics guy because I have seen such “defenses” used to belittle other’s belief systems, this presentation was thoughtful and well done. The following are a few quotes that stuck out to me:

“Life is not about pursuing feelings. Life is about pursuing faith.”
In a culture that puts feelings (i.e. what feels good to me) at the pinnacle of life, the Bible teaches that the pursuit of faith takes precedence. No doubt feelings are bound up in faith, but faith goes beyond feelings to truths that are, at times, outside of feelings. There is no, “I live this way because it feels good” or “Each person should follow his or her conscience.” Faith and truth exist for us to discover and pursue.

"Why do we have an understanding of right and wrong?"
This question is designed to get you to consider a Maker who has instilled within you a system of morality outside of human laws and rules. It is intriguing to consider. Why do people understand that certain thing are just wrong whether a parent or policeman is standing there? Perhaps it is ingrained in our psyche by God or perhaps it is culturally conditioned. I don’t think it can be clearly figured out, especially since it is probably both.

"Can your worldview handle suffering?"
I felt this question somewhat manipulated. John said that other worldviews cannot “handle” suffering, but he presented it in such a way as to say they have no answer. This is not exactly true. Other worldviews do have an answer to suffering. It may not suffice for the hurting person, but they have an answer nonetheless. Either way, he brought up a good point. In regard to this question of theodicy (view of suffering), Christians regularly take a beating and seem unable to adequately answer the question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” But the alternatives offered by other worldviews seem even more lacking.

All in all, John engaged the students, caused them to question things they encounter, and made many of them reevaluate how they are living. I could not have asked for anything more. He was a refreshing change to the normal entertaining and emotionally manipulating teen speakers I run across. I pray that God continues to bless his efforts and that of his organization as they attempt to proclaim the truth and train students to properly defend their faiths.

TCTC - 3

I came to a realization about myself last weekend—I talk too much. Perhaps it is the nature of my job (always being up front, in charge, leading people, directing them). Or perhaps it is the nature of my personality. Or perhaps it is a lack of discipline. I think in the end it is a combination of all three. I always am directing people because my calling has agreed with my personality. And now, I have stopped listening well. I talk too much.

How do I know? I couldn’t talk much all of Saturday. I had to whisper, use sign language, or just not say anything. And as I reflect on that experience, I really enjoyed it. More than that, it seems that many people talked more to me. I get frustrated when youth group kids seem disengaged and not overly interested in being involved in a meaningful conversation. But not this weekend. It seems like almost all the students I encountered had something to say. And maybe they could actually say it because I wasn’t interrupting or talking over them.

As I look back on life, I think that I go through phases of talking too much and having the wisdom to listen. In high school, I was a talker, or to put it more precisely, a debater. In college I still debated, but I think I got to the point of inserting my points in the midst of others’ without dominating the conversation. Then, in seminary, I did a lot more listening.

I don’t know if the company I am in dictates my responses or not. But I need to learn to properly apply the proverbs better:

“Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you will be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.”
Proverbs 26:4-5

Sometimes wisdom means speaking out. Sometimes it means just listening. Or maybe I just need to lose my voice more often.

TCTC - 2

One of the things I like most about TCTC is the variety found in the worship services. Different groups bring different offerings and that all blend together to give glory to God. Granted, some don’t particularly care for one special or another, but in the end each is a sacrifice of praise brought from each person’s heart.

With that being said, the dance troupe Relentless brought interpretive dance last year and this year, and I LOVE IT. Which, to be honest, is very unlike me. Normally I think much of the interpretive dance is pretty lame. But both the peppy and the slow songs that they dance to are great. Their depiction of “Holy Fire” makes me shiver every time I see it.

But perhaps what is most amazing is that they have taken actions that the world defiled and redeemed it for the glory of God. As I watch TV, when people are dancing, especially to Hip-hop music, they are grinding and performing sexually provocative movements. But there was none of that by “Relentless” and they were not lame. Their steps were precise and the performance was as good as any I have seen in pop culture.

Over and over, various speakers drove home the point—use whatever you are talented at for the glory of God. Whether you skate, sing, dance, play an instrument, do comedy, play with puppets, or whatever you do to bring glory and praise to God. And you never know - maybe one day you will performing before God in front of 3700 teenagers.

TCTC - 1

I have returned from the big weekend with 3700 other Christians (most teenagers) and I have to say, I actually feel better than when I left. I left sick and down in the back, and both have improved (albeit modestly) from when I left. So praise God for that.

But my condition allowed me to have a different perspective on the worship service. Friday evening and most of Saturday I could not talk much. So, I definitely could not sing. Also, my back was in such a state that neither standing nor sitting provided all that much relief, so I alternated between the two. The end result was my ability to just take in the praise and lift it up in spirit. This is ironic in some ways, because the theme of the weekend was “Refocus” and here I was having to refocus my worship because my normal expressions of it were hampered.

I am not overly demonstrative by nature, but am usually more reflective in worship. At the same time, I have students that I want to participate in the worship service, and they often don’t understand that by sitting quietly I am still worshipping. Often, they interpret it as a lack of interest, and such attitudes are contagious making them not really engaged in the service either. So I try to lead out through singing, standing, raising hands, etc. to facilitate their worship.

So, with all the students knowing my limitations, I could worship in quietness even though surrounded by many decibels of sound. I enjoyed it and got a chance to really dwell on the words being sung, even those of very familiar songs. I am constantly being challenged to offer up true worship. Hopefully this will be one more step along the way. Tune in tomorrow (or maybe Wednesday) to hear about the speaker.

Big Weekend?

I am leaving today and heading to Gatlinburg, TN for the annual Tennessee Christian Teen Convention. Normally I look forward to this event, and though I am anticipating a good conference, I expect it to be rough for me personally. I have a head cold, which seems to be dissipating. However, the coughing seems to have triggered my sciatic nerve to flare up again. So, though the conference will be good, I will more than likely be in pain for the entire thing. So pray for me that I get some relief. Also pray for Carrie and Elijah as they are both getting over illnesses themselves. Thanks and have a good weekend.

Isolation as Preparation

This picture is one of my favorites spots in the whole world. It is located in Kalkaska, MI, Carrie’s hometown, and though I give her a hard time about the city it really is quite a nice place to visit, especially her parent’s house. They live on a somewhat secluded piece of land which allows Shadow and I to take peaceful walks. My walks usually bring me to this place pictured. Though I am not positive, I assume that these pine trees were planted in these long rows with the hope of one day cutting them down for the lumber. I don’t know when or if this will happen, but for the moment I am not overly concerned.

For the moment, this place is holy ground for me. There is no one else around. I have seen squirrels, deer, and other small creatures in this area but that is all. Just the animals, the wind and the trees. Speaking of the wind, an amazing phenomenon occurs. As the wind whips through these treetops, it sounds like a parade of cars swooping down upon me. Then just as quickly as the volume level rises, it is silent again. Only the crunching of my feet on the snow.

This place is peace. This place is tranquility. It is in my personality to want to spend the rest of my life here. I have little desire to be around people, especially with my cynical attitude about humanity. But though there is no desire, there is need. We all have an innate need to be in community. Isolation can be fruitful for a time, but in the long run it leads down paths that we should not go, and definitely not alone.

Even Jesus would go off on his own to pray. One can assume that he went to be reenergized, to just bask in the presence of God. And even on his most frustrating days, Jesus would return to his disciples and eventually back to the people. We also read the account on the Mount of Transfiguration. And though this was a good place (we might say unbelievably great) it was not the spot at which they should stay. It was affirmation and preparation for the task at hand.

Those quiet times of solitude in our lives, no matter how great or enticing, are not the end. They are a resting point along the way that drives us forward to complete the journey.

The "Holiday" Controversy

We just finished up another holiday season. It seems that more attention was paid to society trying to take Christ out of Christmas than to actually celebrating Christ in our lives and the lives of our families. As I consider the following events—companies enforcing a “holiday” rather than “Christmas” season; Christians getting ticked off that churches are closing on Christmas Sunday; and the insanity of commercialistic gift buying—I am struck with this conclusion: Christians don’t know how to celebrate our religious holidays properly. I think of Christmas and Easter especially.

Instead of celebrating them for what they truly are, we have allowed worldly traditions to influence and, at times, dictate how we celebrate. Does it seem contradictory that Christians are up in arms about churches closing on Christmas, but on that day talk about a fictitious pseudo-super hero that has invaded the house the previous night leaving a bunch of crap that we don’t need? Does it seem contradictory to consider Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection in the same breath as an oversized magical bunny that brings chocolate?

Obviously, I would say that it is contradictory. So it led me to a different question: “Do we need Santa or the Easter Bunny to celebrate the significance of our holidays?” Cleary we would all answer, “No. We don’t need these icons to celebrate the holiday.” Then why do we have them? What would happen if we ignored them? Ceased to mention them to our kids? Explained them as fictitious from an early age?

Some might say, “You are taking away the magic and excitement of the holiday for the kids.” So kids need these characters and extraneous practices to enjoy the holidays? I don’t think so. What is more magical than God raising His Son from the dead? What is more exciting than God coming to earth as a baby? How about focusing on these foundational pillars of faith rather than fantasy?

Instead, we let these other traditions and practices invade our celebrations, and these seasons quickly change from a focus on God’s acts of grace, salvation and redemption and turn into a selfish receiving of gifts based on our action (i.e. if you aren’t good Santa won’t come). I’m tired of the hypocrisy of Christians getting upset about stupid things while ignoring the most important aspects. As Christians, shouldn’t we focus our attention and energy on celebrating what God has done and remove the selfish actions that do not contribute to remembering Him? Or maybe I am just a humbug scrooge.