Here are Life and Theology’s top 10 posts of 2009
10. Did God Do That?
8. You Should Not Be In a Small Group If…
6. Gospel-Focused Small Groups
1. My Son, Dog Food, and Satisfaction
Page 71 of 86
I was able to see Rob Bell at TPAC’s War Memorial on December 9th. I like Rob. I think he’s innovative, pushing the Church to think outside of the proverbial box. I thoroughly enjoyed his lecture. It was a fascinating look at suffering, seeking to not answer the question of “Why, God?!?” but “What now?” It was a compelling lecture/sermon, and if Rob Bell happens to come to your town, I highly suggest picking up a few tickets, and taking a few key leaders along with you. You won’t be disappointed.
But can I nitpick for a minute (and that’s all it is…nitpicking. If Rob could further explain himself on this point, it might have made more sense. But, nonetheless…)? In talking about the “art of solidarity, and the ways that suffering helps to bond us as we build community through shared suffering,” Bell mentioned “the cross, the ultimate act of peace and reconciliation. God didn’t avoid suffering.” Instead, God is with us through it. Then he shared this:
The point of the incarnation is that there’s someone else screaming alongside us.
I get what he’s saying. There’s comfort in the midst of suffering when we know we’re not alone. And I believe that. Suffering is eased when we live life in relationship with others who can share that burden with us. That’s part of the goal of the Church (and the means of achieving that goal, too). And knowing that God doesn’t leave me to my own devices when I suffer is a source of comfort. However, it is not the point of the incarnation.
The main point of the incarnation is not that we have someone to walk through painful situations with us.
The point of the incarnation is that we weren’t good enough to save ourselves. Because of our sin, we needed God himself to come and die the death that we deserved.
A sidebar (and I think it’s important to make that subtle distinction) of the incarnation is that God is with us through suffering. But it’s only a sidebar, at best. The much better news is not that God is present with us through suffering, but that the suffering Christ endured is ONCE FOR ALL! I don’t want to serve a God who merely weeps with me. I want to serve a God who redeems me, who is more powerful than suffering, and who is willing and able to create a world where there is no suffering (Revelation 21:4), no crying, no pain, no death.
Don’t point people to the incarnation as God’s identifying suffering and weeping along with us. Point people to the incarnation as hope that suffering will one day be complete.
Do you want a God who weeps with you? Or One who will redeem you from the curse of pain?
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Are there certain things in your life that you absolutely can’t live without?
I don’t mean philosophical, feel-good things like, “Love” or “Happiness” or “Family” or “Jesus” (ok, well…I do mean those, but let’s put those, more important things, to the side for a moment). Don’t get all “spiritual” on me. (j/k)
What are those “things” that you can’t leave the house without? Better yet…those “things” that, if you leave the house without them, you’ll drive back to get them?
Here’s what I don’t leave home without:
1. Cell phone
2. Moleskine notebook – ideas come to me randomly. I like to have my notebook ready whenever the juices flow.
3. Keys to everything I own – There’s no way on Tuesday that I’ll need to use that key that opens the lock for the cabinet door that I only use once every 4th Sunday at our church building. But nonetheless, I must have it with me at all times.
4. Whatever book I’m currently reading – right now, it’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. You never know when you might be stuck and have time to read.
What “things” will you not leave home without?
I’m all about the lone rebel who wins the war by himself. But our efforts combined are much more effective than our efforts alone.
Alone, we seem weird.
Together, others want to join in.
Recently I said this on Twitter:
Can a person REALLY be growing in their faith & NOT be involved in a faith community? I think not.
As you might imagine, it stirred some people up.
As you can also imagine, the ones it stirred up were the ones not involved in a faith community (a general term that I used to point to church, small group, Sunday School, etc.)
I would love to hear from you, but before that, I’ll throw my thoughts into the ring.
Can a person grow in their faith and not be involved in a faith community?
1. No.
2. 9 times out of 10, in my opinion, the statement, “I don’t need to go to church” is used as an excuse. The people who say this aren’t growing, and don’t have much intention to grow. Church would bring conviction and accountability…two things that they don’t have, and don’t truly desire.
3. For those who fall into the 1 out of 10 who aren‘t using, “I don’t need to go to church” as an excuse, I would say that the Church needs you as much as you need the church. We need your encouragement, love, accountability (doctrinal as well as moral/practical), wisdom, love, care, support, admonition, rebuke, teaching, and leadership. And you need us for the same reasons.
4. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) Going to church brings us into close contact with the Church. Hearing others worship, praying with others, hearing Scripture preached, and building relationships with others in the Church all help to grow our faith, and are, in my opinion, vital to your relationship with Christ.
5. We are prone to forget. We need others to remind us, and spur us on in this walk of faith. We get wrapped up in the trivialities of life, and get bogged down with details. Others help remind us of the power of the resurrection. The brevity of life. The life-transforming power of grace. The healing nature of forgiveness. Without the Church, we quickly lose sight of all of that. I can read about these things in a book…but seeing them lived out in the guy sitting two pews over is different altogether.
6. UPADATE – After a comment I received via Facebook, I’ve decided to make an addition to this post. I’d like to make concessions for folks who are not able to travel, due to health or other reasons. Those people should not feel an ounce of guilt for not traveling to gather with other believers. That said, though, I truly believe that they need to gather with others, so the Church’s responsibility would be to go to them.
What do you think? Do you believe that it’s possible to grow in your faith without “meeting together?”
Looking for a way to discuss New Year’s resolutions with your small group? Below are some discussion questions I put together for our small groups at Grace. Feel free to use them with your group. If you’d like, you can listen to Ron Edmondson’s sermon from this past Sunday HERE (the questions were designed to somewhat parallel Sunday’s sermon).
Interruptions
Are you interrupted very often? How do you normally take an “interruption?”
Have you ever set out to do something, yet realize half-way through, that there was no way you could finish that project? How did that make you feel?
What were a few of your New Year’s resolutions for 2009? How long were you able to keep them?
Read the Christmas story, as told by Matthew 1-2.
Somehow, I doubt that Mary’s goal was to have a baby out of wedlock. I don’t imagine that she had always hoped and dreamed that she could one, special day, tell her fiancé that she was pregnant…and that it wasn’t his baby.
God had different plans for Mary than she likely had for herself.
How did Mary respond to the interruption by God? Women, how would you have responded?
How did Joseph respond to the interruption by God? Men, how would you have responded?
Where have you seen your plans for your life changed by the plans God had for you?
Ultimately, God’s plans for Mary were much bigger, farther-reaching, and glorious than any Mary could have dreamed up herself.
Has this felt like a relatively good year or a relatively bad year? Were you able to accomplish all of your goals, or did “interruptions” get in your way?
What kind of plans do you have for the new year? How do you plan to do things differently in 2010 than in years past?
What kinds of things do you see that God may use you to do?
Turn to the person on your right. What kind of plans do you think God could use them to do this next year? What could He do in and through them?
Never quit dreaming.
I recently wrote a sports editorial piece for a local paper here in middle Tennessee, the I-24 Exchange. For your convenience, I thought I’d re-post it here on my blog, though you can also find it HERE. Keep in mind…this was written last Thursday, before the news of Tiger’s indefinite leave from the game of golf.
Tiger Shanks it in the Woods
Unless you live in a hole, you’ve heard the news about “the greatest golfer of all time.” Tiger Woods was taken to the hospital for an accident he had in his SUV just outside of his Ocoee, FL, home, at 2:25 AM on Friday, December 2nd (momma always said that nothing good happens after midnight).
It was suspected that Tiger was driving under the influence that night. Rumors of marital troubles between he and his wife, Elin, only led to confirmation of years of infidelity on Tiger’s part. Elin, at this point seems to be sticking around…for the kids. His sponsors are sticking with him (though who knows for how long).
Tiger’s life is spinning out of control. To say that more accurately, Tiger’s life has already spun out of control. He’s reaping the fruit of years of poor decisions.
Why are we as a society drawn to stories where people’s lives seem to be spiraling into an absolute dumpster fire? Maybe it helps us to feel better about our own life. Maybe we see ourselves somewhere in the story. Maybe it’s because we have a morbid fascination with the failure of others. Maybe we’re just thankful it’s not us.
Tiger messed up. But so have I. And so have you. None of us have lived a life immune from bad decisions and moral failures. Tiger, on his website, says, “I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect.” You may, or may not, have cheated on your spouse, but you’re not perfect either. I’d venture to guess that, at least one point in your life, you’ve been in need of someone’s forgiveness. You were guilty, and there was no denying it.
There’s hardly a greater feeling in life than being forgiven. To be granted a fresh start. To have your slate wiped clean. It’s as if a heavy, unbearable burden has been lifted off of you.
Is Tiger’s career over? Is he going to be counted as “the greatest golfer of all time?” Or has this exposure marred his fame and fortune forever? Only time can tell.
But instead of our eyes and hearts that are quick to judge, and quick to thirst for more and more dirt, maybe we would be better off extending grace and forgiveness. Tiger doesn’t deserve that. But by very definition grace is not deserved. It is not earned. It’s granted by the one who has been wronged.
I vote to give him a second chance. And I’m thankful that others have done the same for me.
I’m reading through a book that will soon be released. Written by Ryan Chappalear (founder of Africa For Jesus), it is being published right now. In the book, Ryan is comparing the spread of Coca Cola with the spread of the Gospel. I’ll put a full review together for my blog later, but wanted to share this extended quote with you. I hope that it begins to change the way you think about effectively spreading the Gospel to the ends of the world.
When Coca-Cola expands, they understand that in order for their brand to be embraced, it must be looked upon as a local product. That is why most bottling plants are operated by local businessmen and jobs are filled by locals. One or two Coke reps from the USA may visit now and again, but in order for Coca-Cola to have the greatest impact in the local market, it must appear indigenous.
I first realized this when I was in Bible school. My plans were to live in an African village, learn the language, learn the culture, and then preach the Gospel. I thought that in my lifetime, I could reach five villages with the Gospel. But God showed me a new way. A better idea. I learned that for 100 years, God had sent Western missionaries to Africa to train them. There are now literally thousands of Bible training schools across Africa, effectively preparing their own people to spread the Gospel.
After discovering this, it no longer made sense for me to go myself. I could only reach five villages. But if I helped locals become missionaries, I could literally help reach thousands of villages with the Gospel. Almost immediately, I knew my purpose in life: To empower the African Church to reach their own people. (chapter 2, pages 1-2)
Like to read the whole book? It’s coming out soon. Check HERE for updates. In the meantime, why not sponsor a native missionary?
Why can a person read 2,444 pages of the Twilight Saga but barely find 10 minutes to read their Bible?
I ask difficult questions. Not difficult in that you couldn’t follow along because they’re intellectually difficult, but difficult in the sense that they’re not surface-level, “easy” questions.
I was talking with a person recently, asking them about how they’re doing spending time reading their Bible (because I’m convinced that if a person’s not reading their Bible consistently, they’re not growing consistently).
Them: I’m just not a reader.
Me: I don’t buy that.
Them: I just don’t like to read.
Me: How many pages are in Twilight?
Them: I don’t know…probably over 1,000.
Me: How long did it take you to read that?
Them: Less than a week.
Me: …
You make time for what matters most to you. Not sure where to start with the Bible? Here’s a reading plan for you.
…you can walk into church without anybody knowing you
…you leave church without anybody knowing you
…you’ve backslidden
…you want to grow in your faith
…you want to help others grow in their faith
…you need a place to serve
…you need a place to grow
…you need a place to belong
…you’re curious about God
…you don’t even know where to start
…you are a new believer
…you are a mature believer
…you are divorced
…you have children
…you cannot have children
…you “have it together”
…everybody else knows you don’t “have it together”
…you have a great family
…your family is rotten
…you don’t have any family
…you have lots of friends, but none that share your values
…you don’t have any friends who encourage you
…you don’t have any friends who hold you accountable
…you don’t have any friends, period
…life has fallen apart
…you know life will soon fall apart
…you have lots of free time
…you don’t have any free time
…you don’t have parenthood figured out yet
…you don’t have marriage figured out yet
…you don’t have singleness figured out yet
…life is tough right now
…you find that living the Christian life is difficult
…you erroneously think living the Christian life is easy
…you can never seem to think of things to pray for
…you have a house (or apartment) that can seat more than 2 people
…your story is still in progress
What would you add to this list?
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