tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86421465040352316312024-02-18T20:36:07.733-07:00Mike Aleckson"...and I show you a still more excellent way." - I Corinthians 12:31Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07021188517142388224noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-65279884537221514002021-09-04T15:40:00.002-06:002021-11-02T02:25:29.489-06:00Boundary and GraceI was exploring the less-traveled side of a nearby mountain town - a beautiful bedroom community that, like much of Colorado's front range, is turning all-too-quickly into a bustling city. In the middle of the mountains, museums and monuments that make the town special - I found this street sign.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsXt7Fm19bOLfmZ-n3y9HNs5w62IOZKWtTY_Q-aH7H87sBHU6nv4w3xwhbs8YtcSr7DCGDcuRm1ys3VIFmsiWt7bzhJvhq17Z6CNJhJp68tZPBc9S6Il159yG7KpaoPbCw1kvHHxUzAgq/s1600/IMG_0490.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsXt7Fm19bOLfmZ-n3y9HNs5w62IOZKWtTY_Q-aH7H87sBHU6nv4w3xwhbs8YtcSr7DCGDcuRm1ys3VIFmsiWt7bzhJvhq17Z6CNJhJp68tZPBc9S6Il159yG7KpaoPbCw1kvHHxUzAgq/s400/IMG_0490.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
What significance might be found at the corner of Boundary and Grace?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As I stared at this lonely sign ignored by the locals and only useful to the rare tourist without a GPS, I remembered the way God has related to people throughout the Bible.<br />
<br />
Boundaries. <br />
<br />
Now there's a word that inspires! For me, "boundaries" always meant lines and limitations and longings to linger where I was forbidden to do so. But boundaries are so much a part of how God relates to us, and how he expects us to relate with others. <br />
<br />
God relates to humanity through <i>covenants</i>. Covenants are much like contracts, where God says "You do this, and I'll do that." Covenants contain <i>promises </i>that God makes to us (great promises, in fact!) and <i>rules </i>that create boundaries for our thoughts and actions.<br />
<br />
Rules - another way of saying <i>boundaries - </i>are an integral part of God's way of dealing with us. And so, boundaries are really quite good for us in life and in relationship with God,<br />
<br />
Think of the Adamic Covenant - the agreement that God made with Adam in Genesis. In street terms, God basically said "Adam, you and your kin can eat from any tree in this garden. And that's no small thing sir, because the produce from one of these trees in particular will keep you alive forever!". <br />
<br />
That was the great promise of the Adamic Covenant. Eat from that tree and have Eternal Life? I'm sure that sounded really good to Adam, as it would have to me.<br />
<br />
But the Adamic Covenant also contained one very important rule, or boundary, that ended up making all the difference in the world. "Eat from any tree," said God, "except that one...".<br />
<br />
And you know the rest of the story. Adam and his wife stepped over the boundary. Sin and it's ugly brother Death came into God's beautiful world and we've never been the same since.<br />
<br />
Every other covenant God has made with human beings follows the same structure - promises and boundaries, boundaries and promises. It's just the way it is with our God.<br />
<br />
But boundaries aren't the only thing we see in the scriptures. We see, almost like we're looking into the sun, the powerful <i>Grace </i>that God has always given to his children, and nowhere is this grace more evident than in the person and work of Jesus, and in his New Covenant.<br />
<br />
Grace.<br />
<br />
I've heard it defined as "unmerited favor". And grace is well-understood in that way. But here, I'd like to call out grace as "the ability to do something hard, and make it look easy".<br />
<br />
Take, for example, a world-class figure skater, or sculptor or violinist. These individuals have all mastered some complicated and difficult skills. And when they're at the top of their game, they make it look easy. <br />
<br />
When I watch a graceful ballet dancer, or downhill skier or high-level rock climber - a master in the middle of practicing their art, I'd swear that "I could do that!".</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, not so much.<br />
<br />
But the grace bestowed by our Father come to us <span style="font-family: inherit;">in the person of his Spirit - who lives in us. In Ezekiel 36:27, God promised that in the New Covenant he would put his "Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.". By his Spirit, God gives us the grace to do what seems hard, and even make it look easy. </span><br />
<br />
Every once in awhile I find myself in the Jeep up in that town - brakes squeaking to a stop there at the junction of Boundary and Grace. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>Father, thank you for the deposit of your Spirit in me. Please grant me the grace to follow your lead, maybe even to make something tough look easy.</i></blockquote>
</div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07021188517142388224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-21186619781454163782018-05-11T13:22:00.001-06:002018-05-11T14:05:23.050-06:00HumilityAndrew Murray was a missionary pastor in South Africa during the 19th century, and he wrote a devotional book on the subject of humility that's been a part of my personal transformation process lately.<span class="fullpost">
</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Humility-Journey-Holiness-Andrew-Murray/dp/076422560X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1526066973&sr=8-2&keywords=humility+andrew+murray" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuOMikU0L7ksGO2isrZMBpG7esrRyReZTi1_h-Xr0PcFMzfIl_RUw4mZLR4clqCaPW7Dj_lwg0H__DGp0WWlvR2FIVp4cOkSG43p1AIy0Ru1KekOjb9z-FtWX8FeXJMD0h6n5Y9XoZjXg/s320/humility.jpg" width="228" /></a>At first, his laser focus on humility as <i>the</i> secret sauce of all Christian living seemed to me a bit over-wrought. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I mean - come on - every author and every speaker will tell you that the subject of the book they're promoting or the talk they're giving is the one thing you really need and of course the one thing you're truly missing.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>But surely humility, among all the other virtues, isn't the most important, is it?</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well, after spending about 3 months of my team devotions (with men I so greatly respect) going through this book, I'm ready to agree with Mr. Murray.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On many pages I found the temptation to highlight almost every sentence. My friends and I found multiple discussion points in every chapter - challenging us to think differently, to act differently and ultimately to seek to become a totally different kind of man.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
With that said, there's no way to comprehensively review <i>Humility</i> without taking more of your time today than you bargained for - so I'll leave you with just one passage from chapter 12 that has set so clear a direction for my heart.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"In the faith of the grace that is already working in you;<br />
in the assurance of the grace for the victory is yet to be;<br />
stand persistently under the unchanging command:<br />
<br />
humble yourself.<br />
<br />
Accept with gratitude everything that God allows<br />
from within or without,<br />
from friend or enemy,<br />
in nature or in grace,<br />
to remind you of your need for humbling and to help you in it.<br />
<br />
Reckon humility to be the mother-virtue,<br />
your very first duty before God,<br />
the one perpetual safeguard of the soul,<br />
and set your heart upon it as the source of all blessing."</blockquote>
<div>
I recommend you get a few copies of this little book and a spend some time with a few close friends looking deeply into it. I think you'll be happy you did.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>"Father, I think I'm ready at least to point my days toward living in humility before you. Please guide me and my friends in more humble choices and moments - that we may know you and come ever closer to your heart alone." </i></div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07021188517142388224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-42857315576641323952018-05-03T08:24:00.002-06:002020-07-25T01:11:58.839-06:00Lord, Remember MeOne of God's weekly smiles comes in the gathering of believers that meets in my home. We've become like family to one another in many ways. We eat together, we study the scriptures together and we recreate together. Best of all we find that we're growing together in fits and starts to better bear God's image in the world.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last night we talked a bit about grieving loss and pain. Each of us have lost some things in our lives that were dear to us - perhaps some things we held too dear - but whatever, we've lost some things, some influence, some possessions, some relationships, some vocations or some dreams. We've been hurt and we've hurt others.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvQqAZjKAofJsWgmfFoKBzCKjFE7DxdP0NXsLSUcM5_HZ8sd_fucQ9KyiQKo-gFv0tHtG9pba_9JxHW9v4h-SyiBUSJG0dNgRct-ZE-BxOTX3Cq866aXJpSmM40Z-9KR9UQO7_ca22dF3/s1600/lament.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="702" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvQqAZjKAofJsWgmfFoKBzCKjFE7DxdP0NXsLSUcM5_HZ8sd_fucQ9KyiQKo-gFv0tHtG9pba_9JxHW9v4h-SyiBUSJG0dNgRct-ZE-BxOTX3Cq866aXJpSmM40Z-9KR9UQO7_ca22dF3/s320/lament.png" width="320" /></a>We talked a bit about how to process grief, and how the ancient Jewish poets reckoned losses and hurts they were experiencing with God's great promises to them. We call those songs "laments". </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A lament simply starts with expression of deep sorrow or grief. No holds barred and nothing held back. All the hurt, all the pain - get it out on the table for God and the world to see. The great lament Psalms as well as many of the prophetic books are beautiful examples of how real people got real with God - no sugar coatings or trite happy sayings or giddy denials of reality.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But because of their great God, and his saving work in their lives in the past - they had faith. Even still, given their pain and loss - those folks held on to some core beliefs in their all-powerful-always-good God and his great promises of a bright Kingdom future for them.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So their laments ended not in some nihilistic abyss, but with hopeful expressions of their faith. And thus their souls were soothed. They made sense of their lives and after the mourning and grieving - they got up. They got up with the strength of heart and mind to build and rebuild and go back at life again in hope.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's how laments worked for them, and I'm finding that's how they work for me.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nzt8fZr-T1E/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="199" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nzt8fZr-T1E?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="240"></iframe>Here's a beautiful lament song that I can't stop tearfully singing. Andrew Peterson's <i>Remember Me</i> comes from the place of the thief on the cross hanging next to Jesus.<br />
<br />
Check out how the song begins in grief. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There is none righteous, no not one,<br />
We are prodigal daughters and wayward sons<br />
We don't know the half of the hurt we've done<br />
The countless we have killed"</blockquote>
<div>
But then, look how it ends...</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"But before the breath there in the tomb,<br />
before our joy sprang from the womb,<br />
You saw <i>a day that's coming soon</i>.<br />
<br />
When the Son will stand on the mount again,<br />
with an army of angels at His command,<br />
and <i>the earth will split like the hull of a seed,<br />
wherever Jesus plants his feet.</i><br />
<br />
<i>And up from the earth, the dead will rise,</i><br />
like spring trees robed in petals of white,<br />
singing the song of the radiant bride..."
</blockquote>
<br />
Oh man - that's gonna be a good day indeed...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07021188517142388224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-31471938228745250212018-04-27T08:26:00.001-06:002018-05-01T15:28:00.712-06:00The Greatest Play Ever Written<blockquote>
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-1" style="display: inline;"><i><span class="strongs">"What</span> was <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="1"></a>from the <span class="strongs">beginning</span>, <span class="strongs">what</span> we have <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="2"></a><span class="strongs">heard</span>, <b><span class="strongs">what</span> we have <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="3"></a><span class="strongs">seen</span> with our <span class="strongs">eyes</span>, <span class="strongs">what</span> we <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="4"></a>have <span class="strongs">looked</span> at</b> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="5"></a><span class="strongs">touched</span> with our hands, </i></span><span class="versetext" id="1jo1-1" style="display: inline;"><i><span class="strongs">concerning</span> the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="6"></a><span class="strongs">Word</span> of <span class="strongs">Life </span></i></span><i>and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="7"></a>the <span class="strongs">life</span> was <span class="strongs">manifested</span>, </i><i>and we have <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="8"></a><b><span class="strongs">seen</span></b> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8642146504035231631&postID=379189003658109423&from=pencil" name="9"></a><span class="strongs">testify</span> and <span class="strongs">proclaim</span> to you the <b>eternal life</b>..." - 1 John 1:1-2</i></blockquote>
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Have you ever wondered why John listed </span><span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;"><i>seeing</i> Jesus three times?</span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">I mean, as John was ticking off the sensory perceptions that he and his friends had of Messiah, he mentions hearing Messiah once. He mentions touching Messiah once.</span><span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">But thrice he mentions <i>seeing</i> Messiah.</span> <span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Hmm, what's that all about? Well, let's dig just a bit deeper.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">The first occasion of the word "seen" in verse 1, and the word translated "seen" in verse 2, are derived from the Greek <i>horao</i>. <i> </i></span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;"><i>Horao</i> is used quite flexibly in the New Testament to communicate that a person has seen something (sometimes it's a physical seeing, sometimes it's more like an inner revelation).</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">So <i>horao</i> basically says "I saw something with my eyes (or maybe with my heart or mind)".</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL0b8rRoIJ35TYyFi-ifV_0lC48SPmQr722Zwvzg05C53t9jEbcQNhGxVk8Ad2nEMIhjPOzwDsZWXmngeYXEZVZvEye3d3xHBKkZDYYMsM_X36kUH47zDdo0hsRRPig8qX75vhM1nbTs/s1600/greektheat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL0b8rRoIJ35TYyFi-ifV_0lC48SPmQr722Zwvzg05C53t9jEbcQNhGxVk8Ad2nEMIhjPOzwDsZWXmngeYXEZVZvEye3d3xHBKkZDYYMsM_X36kUH47zDdo0hsRRPig8qX75vhM1nbTs/s320/greektheat1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Interestingly though, John throws in another word for "I saw something" in verse 1 that the New American Standard translates as "have looked at". </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">It's derived from the Greek <i>theaomai</i> - closely related to <i>theatron</i>.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Anyone care to guess what <i>theatron</i> is all about? Yep, it's where we get our word "theater".</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Theaters are very popular places today - and so they were back in the 1st century Hellenistic world into which the Church was born.</span><br />
<br />
Would you go to the theater, then sit for two hours watching a movie like, say, <i>Braveheart</i>, and then flatly say to your friend the next morning, "Hey, I saw Mel Gibson last night"?<br />
<br />
Of course not!<br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Why? Because you were far too involved in the spectacle and story line of the movie to describe it so trivially! </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Watching a movie is a much deeper experience than just "seeing something". Watching <i>Braveheart</i> is much more meaningful than merely seeing a snapshot of Mel Gibson in a celebrity tabloid.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FHh_6UDqnvjRKIgZW8mpZItMF7PwFKYMMbmYHof-F-wmY182Imc_gASAlBynGWcetptsJe55UOw-xGEZ-kqIqHewqIHz9bT0YEf-oBi8GGjrmzxXwdVBETqEk7pC_APcboCPzfFSPE4/s1600/theat1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FHh_6UDqnvjRKIgZW8mpZItMF7PwFKYMMbmYHof-F-wmY182Imc_gASAlBynGWcetptsJe55UOw-xGEZ-kqIqHewqIHz9bT0YEf-oBi8GGjrmzxXwdVBETqEk7pC_APcboCPzfFSPE4/s320/theat1.gif" width="320" /></a><span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Please forgive the misuse of grammar, but watching a movie is more than <i>horao</i> - it's downright <i>theaomai</i>!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">And just as did the 1st century readers of John's letter - when we go to a theater, we see a big story played out in front of us. We see a drama - complete with character development and lots of emotion.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">And most importantly, the very best movies have engaging and developed story lines that draw our hearts and minds into the world of the movie.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Yes, a truly great movie brings us the opportunity to vicariously become a character in the drama itself. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">So I think John is telling us exactly that about his experience with Messiah. I think he's telling us that he saw "the big picture" spectacle of Jesus's work, and how it fit into the really big picture of God's Story.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">That great, overarching Story tells us that God's great purpose in Creation is to have a Kingdom on Earth. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">That great, overarching Story tells us that God's Kingdom has been inaugurated in Messiah, and that we today have a part to play in building it, and that one day Messiah will return to finish the Kingdom work he started back there in the first century.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">John later outlines more specifically what our part in the Kingdom Story is today, and what it will be when Jesus returns. I'm talking of course about John's epic book of Revelation.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Let's read the letters to the churches in Revelation, as well as the rest of that revolutionary apocalypse.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3n5jayjPqMcuNKBH2Cpm833ckk0HVxUiFTczaeIE1YIDAox1U0NJone1jNoC8JJOzWpVYWlIaRpG3PwpUIMXtLx_g84liqRpfGpeCqntX276w7-eEtOFAZ3wzJYQoMDFUAzWkdpDp3Q/s1600/theat3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3n5jayjPqMcuNKBH2Cpm833ckk0HVxUiFTczaeIE1YIDAox1U0NJone1jNoC8JJOzWpVYWlIaRpG3PwpUIMXtLx_g84liqRpfGpeCqntX276w7-eEtOFAZ3wzJYQoMDFUAzWkdpDp3Q/s320/theat3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Let's read Revelation as if it is the closing act of The Great Play - <b>with you and I as characters in it.</b> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Let's read it that way because that's exactly what the book of Revelation is - and that's exactly what the book of Revelation does. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Let's not reduce the magnificent Judeo-Christian narrative to a mere series of sound bites or to a mere bucket of wise fortune-cookie sayings. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="versetext" id="1jo1-2" style="display: inline;">Let's rather see it like John saw it - the <i>theaomai</i> way - as the grand, connected, theatrical spectacle of Creation and New Creation that promises to one day make all things New.</span><br />
<span class="fullpost">
</span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07021188517142388224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-34390075146578033352018-04-20T07:55:00.001-06:002018-04-23T14:45:39.220-06:00Is He Worthy?I've spent much of my life subtly and sometimes not so subtly trying to avoid pain and loss.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I tend to narrow my focus to what I <i>think</i> are my problems, and I tend to compulsively lurch toward supposed solutions that let me believe and behave however I want or that require no loss on my part.<br />
<br />
I tend to avoid <i>judgment</i> at all costs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the fifth chapter of Revelation we find John in deep distress as he's witnessing a vision of the great Day of the Lord - the final judgment God's prophets and poets had known for centuries would come. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>The Day when evildoers would be put to rights. </i></div>
<div>
<i>The Day when the oppressed would be set free. </i></div>
<div>
<i>The Day when ugly, despotic power structures would be unmade. </i></div>
<div>
<i>The Day when Yahweh would set everything straight. </i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But John's not agonizing like I might be - scared silly of what I might lose or of some pain I might face. No, he's weeping because no one can be found worthy to break the seals of that great judgment scroll. No one can be found worthy to read it's pronouncements and no one can be found worthy to render them. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
John saw what I'm coming to see. That is, that God's judgment is nothing to be afraid of if we're following Jesus as Lord. If we are following after Messiah, then the Day of the Lord is for us that great day when we and the whole wide world are ridden completely of the effects of evil. </div>
<div>
<br />
John was weeping because if no one could open the scroll, then nothing in this world of pain could ever be changed. Nothing could ever be made truly and deeply and forever Good again.<br />
<br />
If no one could open the scroll, then pain and sorrow and sadness and lack and loss would always be the cruel taskmasters of what God had made to be so beautiful in the beginning.<br />
<br />
But of course, John then heard what he'd so been waiting to hear:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."</i></blockquote>
So rather than fear that Day - we can know deep in our hearts as did John - that's the Day we've all been waiting for...<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OIahc83Kvp4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OIahc83Kvp4?feature=player_embedded" style="clear: right; float: right;" width="320"></iframe>On that Day, we'll finally be rid of the nasty bent to protect ourselves at any cost, to grab for ourselves whatever we can and to hurt others whenever we are hurt.<br />
<br />
On that Day, we'll be rid forever of fear, doubt, selfishness, greed and all their ugly siblings. We, and the whole wide world, will all be made totally and completely New.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Andrew Peterson has put this grandest of all scenes to gorgeous melody - to which I cannot stop listening. It's truly beautiful.<br />
<br />
In fact, his <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKx-vIGt_HMtMMyeyDSejxc4WuOCq_9uF">Resurrection Letters: Prologue</a> </i>and <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx3vDBtf78E&list=PLl3srr85mZQJgYnE8XizCa2FuAnmTHXbX">Resurrection Letters: Volume 1</a> </i>are now on constant play in my ears and in my heart. </div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07021188517142388224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-22361461709872066462015-08-18T14:16:00.000-06:002020-07-25T01:13:46.152-06:00The Global Advocacy Forum 2015<span class="fullpost">
Like I've said so many times before, I'm humbled to be a tiny part of Compassion International - a ministry that's actually enabling God's people to change the world in real and significant ways. 1.5 million children are today being delivered (and I mean <em>truly delivered</em>) from extreme poverty because Compassion connects you, the sponsor, with the heart and circumstances of your sponsored children. So i</span><span class="fullpost">t's my pleasure to serve our sponsors and all those children by bringing what I've learned about technology to the multitude of tasks involved in running this ministry.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UNmNNLNEJvgIMfYnH0sDRAruu_3oSgH_W09uSPazzCPfB5538_wwMvuPaAtOnaPg-6Wjr9byPmATuDE6RIHONtgSC9iRZSNxrcZFiPyi2TW8sxQ_IrRkemWBXTv3nUHMwk8a8Mux95g/s1600/lisa+and+mike-speaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3UNmNNLNEJvgIMfYnH0sDRAruu_3oSgH_W09uSPazzCPfB5538_wwMvuPaAtOnaPg-6Wjr9byPmATuDE6RIHONtgSC9iRZSNxrcZFiPyi2TW8sxQ_IrRkemWBXTv3nUHMwk8a8Mux95g/s400/lisa+and+mike-speaking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This June, I traveled with Compassion's Global Advocacy team to Cape Town, South Africa to unveil some revolutionary technology - technology designed to help deliver children from poverty in Jesus' name. <br />
<br />
What's Global Advocacy? Well, in a nutshell it's Compassion's way of giving a part of itself to other ministries and other means of delivering children from poverty. It's Compassion giving away whatever we can to other ministry partners so that together we might do what no single ministry could do alone.<br />
<br />
So with the thought of sharing in mind, we've created a technology space to gather and share mounds of really relevant information critical to the care of children in the difficult environments in which they live. And right inside that space we can collaborate with the multitudes of caregivers that so desperately need that information - all in real time. In fact, we expect this technology and the humans that use it to enable more than 20,000 churches around the world (churches that are not tied in any way to Compassion) to care for multiplied millions of children.<br />
<br />
I'll demonstrate all this here in the near future, but for now, I'd just like to express my gratitude to the Father for calling us into his service no matter what ministry we may work for, and my thankfulness to Compassion International for being such a bright light around the world.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>"Thank you, Father, for the love you're sharing through the church to millions of children in poverty around the world. We know that one day, Messiah will return and deliver us all from whatever poverty we may experience. But between now and then, please give us the strength to push ever forward and ever more intelligently into this your Great Project. In Jesus' name, amen!"</em></blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-76715560665049734102015-07-22T13:59:00.000-06:002015-08-18T15:25:16.578-06:00Overlap of the AgesTime for contemplation has come rarely this year, and little contemplation time means little fodder for witty blog posts. But this season affords for a few moments of contemplative reflection - so here we go...<br />
<br />
When I was a younger man, I thought that perhaps there could be a concept that, if it were carefully engineered and if it were presented just right, would take the world by storm. Perhaps the field of politics would produce. Maybe education would enlighten. Surely religion would rectify, right?<br />
<br />
And of course, the reality is that all these and more contribute to our diverse and interesting planet. <br />
<br />
But the older I get, the less faith I have in any of these fields, and the more hope I have in the singular event that will change everything. This event holds the potential to so radically change our politics, so thoroughly educate us and so radically satisfy our religious yearnings - we won't know what hit us when it happens.<br />
<br />
Wouldn't it be awesome if today was the day?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."</i> - Revelation 2:20</blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-21556019113635748382015-02-26T13:27:00.005-07:002015-08-18T15:14:48.507-06:00Resurrection, Again...<span class="fullpost">
Resurrection is a frequent topic for discussion among those of us that try to see the bigger picture of the Judeo Christian worldview. I mean, what could be a more appropriate and exciting thing to talk about - what with the Kingdom of God having already been inaugurated back there in the first century, and what with the promise from the Lord that he will return and one day bring that Kingdom to our planet fully.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGvOVP3GyIKTUVaw4apOlx0RGZCOTjEZwfmi_8Xd2oCII82VS6ipRNBYcSwMQwXx8kQGwGVrk1znIHXktCsgE3kovvyqdCDsNnt8Q2vd6yoWEaWySfH6ZwRFX1gRZiChBJqDJ6b6nIjs/s1600/sunrise1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGvOVP3GyIKTUVaw4apOlx0RGZCOTjEZwfmi_8Xd2oCII82VS6ipRNBYcSwMQwXx8kQGwGVrk1znIHXktCsgE3kovvyqdCDsNnt8Q2vd6yoWEaWySfH6ZwRFX1gRZiChBJqDJ6b6nIjs/s1600/sunrise1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
But even with that great promise - the promise that makes the Judeo-Christian story the greatest story ever told - there are many times I've been left asking "What about today?".<br />
<br />
So about today, I'm reminded of one of my favorite Psalms. In it, David is dealing with the everyday dangers of being king of a fledgling nation. He was, as he was often, concerned with the enemies of Israel. He was concerned with his personal enemies. And finally, he cried out to Yahweh to look at him and to lift him above his oppressors.<br />
<br />
At the end, though, David expresses his faith in God in a most beautiful way.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>I remain confident of this: <br />I will see the goodness of the Lord <br />in the land of the living.</em> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>Wait for the Lord; <br />be strong and take heart <br />and wait for the Lord.</em> </blockquote>
So I think I'll follow David's example today. I'm waiting to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living... <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-79102535079673926432012-02-20T16:41:00.002-07:002015-09-14T12:54:38.606-06:00More on Failing NerveI wrote this post just after President Obama was elected the first time. The video of Peggy Joseph at the bottom is just priceless, and it seems to say that now, more than ever, we are suffering from A Failure of Nerve.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CyObv0kzqWok7usvcBaGmJNhtDPoRrvmS4G63XwRGg7PIvF_5X9iMgLwvAjoTbabragg7nwq94MHsxWSG9JfImu1XpyevVAm4b5WL_TbrnubSif1hUBqwXc2vhDZPiLqaCrOx4Sldo8/s1600/failureofnerve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CyObv0kzqWok7usvcBaGmJNhtDPoRrvmS4G63XwRGg7PIvF_5X9iMgLwvAjoTbabragg7nwq94MHsxWSG9JfImu1XpyevVAm4b5WL_TbrnubSif1hUBqwXc2vhDZPiLqaCrOx4Sldo8/s1600/failureofnerve.jpg" /></a>Dr. Edwin Friedman - the eminent psychologist, therapist, lecturer and consultant - didn't finish <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A Failure of Nerve</span> before his untimely death in 1996. His wife and several former colleagues went ahead and finished it for him.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I use a number of sources as the theological and philosophical bases for my approach to leading and training leaders. But Friedman's works (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Generation to Generation</span> and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A Failure of Nerve</span>) have become my primary psychological foundation for leadership. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here's a quote from the introduction of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Failure</span>. Emphases are mine.</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
"I believe there exists throughout America today a rampant sabotaging of leaders who try to stand tall amid the raging anxiety-storms of our time. It is a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">highly reactive atmosphere</span> pervading all the institutions of our society - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">a regressive mood</span> that contaminates the decision-making processes of government and corporations at the highest level, and, on the local level, seeps down into the deliberations of neighborhood church, synagogue, hospital, library, and school boards...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It is my perception that this <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">leadership-toxic climate</span> runs the danger of squandering a natural resource far more vital to the continued evolution of our civilization than any part of the environment. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">We are polluting our own species</span>. The more immediate threat to the regeneration, and perhaps even the survival, of American civilization is internal, not external. It is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">our tendency to adapt to its immaturity</span>. To come full circle, this kind of emotional climate can only be dissipated by clear, decisive, well-defined leadership. For whenever a 'family' is driven by anxiety, what will also always be present is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">a failure of nerve</span> among its leaders."</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
Friedman goes on to detail the symptoms of nerve failure throughout the book. And of course he outlines the cure - which is brilliant, yet astonishingly easy to understand. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I must admit that the book could have used more of Friedman's touch - he was the master of applied Family Systems Theory and he also had a way with words that his proteges have unfortunately not quite captured. But nonetheless, the ideas expressed in the book stand, in my opinion, as the genesis of what I hope will become a significant new trajectory in leadership thinking.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm now old enough to have paid attention to a sizable chunk of the political discourse in this country. And in watching the presidential campaigns, culminating in yesterday's election, I'm reminded of Friedman's analysis.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now more than ever I'm convinced Friedman was right on when he spoke of our nasty, self-destructive tendency to adapt to our own personal and national immaturities - to adapt toward weakness rather than strength. Here's an example of what I'm talking about. </div>
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/P36x8rTb3jI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/P36x8rTb3jI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What is Peggy actually saying? Is her fundamental approach good for her or for our country?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Again, I'm with Friedman - I believe we're polluting our own species. Any thoughts? </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-12044779491289129422011-12-31T12:38:00.003-07:002015-09-12T22:04:10.767-06:002012: Looking Ever Forward2011 was truly a challenging year in my little corner of the world. I hate to invoke a metaphor I use too much - but it was quite a mountain to climb.<br />
<br />
We made a few big decisions, some of which have proven to be good. For some, of course, we still await the verdict.<br />
<br />
And all the while, the age-old conundrums mock us - "Why is everything so hard?" or "Why do bad things happen to good people?" or "Why is there so much suffering in the world?".<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
As I ponder such questions, my worldview quietly yet firmly reminds me: "Mike, that's just the way it is this side of the Resurrection".<br />
<br />
But my worldview also has that oh-so-special shape, and it's precisely that shape that continues to get me up in the morning, that continues to fuel my pursuits and that continues to brighten in one way or another even the darkest of moments.<br />
<br />
As we've discussed so many times, the Judeo-Christian worldview is shaped like a ray (to be mathematically correct). It started deep in the will of God in the eternal past, it played out in the adventures of God's people throughout ancient times and it became so very clear back there in the 1st century.<br />
<br />
Then for those of us with "ears to hear" it continues to shape our lives today, and the coolest part is that it promises an absolutely AMAZING future - unparalleled as far as I'm concerned by any other worldview. <br />
<br />
Messiah's good friend John saw that shape, and wrote so perfectly in his Revelation about the Kingdom that's yet to come, the Kingdom we have a part in building and the Kingdom that will make all things New.<br />
<br />
<b>My encouragement to you is to let the hope of that Kingdom break in to your outlook for today and for all of 2012. </b> Start the new year resolving to build his Kingdom with all the gifts, talents and strengths you were created with, and then actually spend 2012 doing it.<br />
<br />
There's a world full of possibilities for your tomorrow. The huge bonus is that, as the Great Story goes, the product of your 2012 can actually last into that Resurrection Kingdom.<br />
<br />
A year well-spent, with results that last forever - what's not to like? <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Father, remind us in 2012 of the beauty of the Age to come. Give us the strength and the self-control to build the beauties of that Age, as much as we can, into the year ahead. </i></blockquote>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-14100911603177923482011-12-07T22:41:00.011-07:002015-08-18T15:15:22.639-06:00Christianity and the Continuous Improvement Mindset<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1paZA28Nh_vcCZf-kkRICKChqADDp8REWWfMlDSgNLE2jKOx_6bAWnH0zDbuWPA7JeUuD0ADPUQua1F3Pjm5xJZ9Wjb8sQvvCXiLjxvF5NDuFspmDBFC7ADfqHmntULxjOoh6IPZyFVM/s1600/ut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1paZA28Nh_vcCZf-kkRICKChqADDp8REWWfMlDSgNLE2jKOx_6bAWnH0zDbuWPA7JeUuD0ADPUQua1F3Pjm5xJZ9Wjb8sQvvCXiLjxvF5NDuFspmDBFC7ADfqHmntULxjOoh6IPZyFVM/s200/ut.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
So I'm working on a project to improve how we're going about the job of releasing millions of children from poverty in Jesus' name. A part of what we're implementing could be termed a "continuous improvement mindset", and discussions on the subject reminded me of the following post I wrote a few years ago.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
I worked in technology management for an uber-successful chemical company back in the late eighties and nineties. I owe so much to that organization because I've based a chunk of my approach to business, ministry and life on a few of the concepts I learned there.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>For me, the most important things I learned during that time were the <span style="font-weight: bold;">continuous improvement</span> principles taught in the company-sponsored classes on the subject - alongside the many interesting group discussions and the excellent mentoring I received from some of the leaders of that organization.<br />
<br />
At first I thought that Dr. Deming's <i>kaizen</i> ("good change") methods of using statistical process control to make products better only applied to manufacturing or business processes - stuff that happened in the lab, or on the production floor or in the office.<br />
<br />
I'm certainly not going to lecture here on incremental vs. step-change, process metrics, upper and lower control limits, standard deviations and all the other tools of the business side of continuous improvement. I'll leave all that to those of you with the intestinal fortitude to apply such concepts in your workplace.<br />
<br />
But no matter the precise technique, I've observed that the successful leaders that I aspire to be like "when I grow up" have all adopted the <span style="font-style: italic;">mindset</span> of continuous improvement. They apply the general principles of that discipline in their everyday lives. Each of them has done it in their own way, of course - but they are all "continuous improvers" in one way or another.<br />
<br />
For example, continuous improvers:<br />
<br />
- question the status quo<br />
- are open to new ideas<br />
- don't ever think they've "arrived"<br />
- crave learning<br />
- seek fresh answers to even the oldest of questions<br />
- value flexible partnerships over rigid hierarchies<br />
- focus on the goals of the future rather than on the mistakes of the past<br />
- read good books written by smart people<br />
- are keen observers of human nature, human relationships and emotional processes<br />
- increase their awareness of the world around them rather than build walls of ignorance<br />
- set goals<br />
- plan the work<br />
- work the plan<br />
- monitor progress<br />
- revel in successes<br />
- learn from failures<br />
- stay positive<br />
<br />
and on and on. You get the point.<br />
<br />
I think the one statement that sums it all up for me is this: <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A continuous improver concentrates their thoughts, their words and their actions toward creating a better future for themselves and ultimately for the world around them.</blockquote>
And I believe it is right there - precisely in that statement - where <b>the philosophy of continuous improvement and the theology of the Kingdom of God line up beautifully</b>. They snap together like puzzle pieces to create a way of life that produces what God wants for us and for the world.<br />
<br />
Check this out. In Phillipians 3:15, Paul says,<br />
<blockquote>
"All of us who are mature should take such a view of things." </blockquote>
What "view of things" is he talking about, you ask?<br />
<br />
It's the view he set forth in the previous few verses. See if you can identify whether or not Paul was a continuous improver based on this passage.<br />
<blockquote>
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. <span style="font-weight: bold;">I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him</span>, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection</span> and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, <span style="font-weight: bold;">to attain to the resurrection from the dead.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but <span style="font-weight: bold;">I press on</span> to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, <span style="font-weight: bold;">I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. </span><br />
<br />
But <span style="font-weight: bold;">one thing</span> I do: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Forgetting what is behind</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal</span> to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."</blockquote>
What do you say - was Paul a continuous improver? <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />
<br />
Father, help me to be always learning, always open to a better way and always focused on the bright future promised in your magnificent Kingdom story. Help me and my friends to live now, as much as we can, in the resurrection-light of your Kingdom to come.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-65243487957552979342011-11-24T16:01:00.005-07:002015-07-22T10:45:41.930-06:00Thanksgiving 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCCP3iT8dLyMH0Y8lwBOtN12zrzu90CHy6NaC5XRQoRGC0XayE02a-FD6rpRdU5S3-yfGVzs-HmsjojMkBYpCqMC9hqLaODgBNCeN_oub2hwkGQPEhO2caZ2LlHCfjxx-_nAMxZYVyz4/s1600/rejoice+always2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCCP3iT8dLyMH0Y8lwBOtN12zrzu90CHy6NaC5XRQoRGC0XayE02a-FD6rpRdU5S3-yfGVzs-HmsjojMkBYpCqMC9hqLaODgBNCeN_oub2hwkGQPEhO2caZ2LlHCfjxx-_nAMxZYVyz4/s1600/rejoice+always2.jpg" /></a><span class="fullpost">This year I've made a few additions to the list, but </span><span class="fullpost">though every Thanksgiving I try - I can't seem to say it much better than this. </span><br />
<hr />
<br />
You know, God does what he does in our lives through people - people that are gifted, kind and patient - people that have our best interests at their heart.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Yes, a good friend of mine often says that "we stand on the shoulders of giants" and a truer statement has never been made. I owe so much to so many.<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
I'm eternally thankful for:</div>
<blockquote>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* my parents for bringing me onto the planet, for sticking it out, for providing, and for believing that I could do whatever I put my mind to.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* my grade school teachers for planting in me the seeds of self-worth that grew into the confidence to move forward.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Rich Melton for fanning my desire to learn by challenging me with concepts totally off-the-chart for a 6th-grader.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Bob Schleinat for allowing me to explore the limits of my musical ability, for pushing me beyond what I thought I could ever do, and for my 15 minutes of fame on that gig at the old St. Louis Arena.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Ron Tucker for keeping me spellbound as a young man with fresh takes on that old, old story.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Jeff Perry for showing me that Christianity was mainly about completing my part of the Great Project and for providing opportunities and motivation to change the world.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Dr. Larry Hunt for being patient with me during that mess in '87-'88, for pointing the way towards an unconventional, liberating approach and for introducing me to some of the great thinkers that have shaped and reshaped my worldview.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Don Erhardt for putting up with my immaturity while providing opportunities for professional advancement that I didn't deserve, and for introducing me to the way business actually works.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Dennis Graham for respecting me, for valuing my opinions and applauding my work, and for giving me so many opportunities to be and to do bigger things than I ever dreamed I could.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Dr. Tom Trone (truly a Jedi Master) for teaching and modeling the consultative approach that has become the way I "do my thing". </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Dr. Tom Wright for mapping the way to an understanding of the great Judeo-Christian worldview that I wouldn't be the same without, that my students wouldn't be the same without and that I'd have never found on my own. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* Mark Burgess for his brilliance, for his humility and for being a great business partner all those years.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* all those clients that put their trust in me and my team to bring them to new and better places.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* all those to whom I've been privileged to minister over the years - that have at times trusted me, challenged me, taught me, learned from me, led me and followed me. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* those truly close friends (you know who you are!) with whom I'd gladly trust my life. </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* my brother and sisters for their encouragement, for their support and frankly, for just being there.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
* my sons Josh and Dylan for their simple trust in me and in God, for their inner strength, for their hunger for adventure and for their companionship.</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Father, it is in you that we live today and have hope for the future. Thank you for creating us, for working through all those people to make us </span><span style="font-style: italic;">what we are </span><span style="font-style: italic;">in both strengths and weakness</span><span style="font-style: italic;">es, and for the world of possibilities that lay before us.<br />
<br />
Thank you, Father, for weaving the great story that will result in the renewing of all things: for Messiah, for the resurrection and the kingdom to come that will at last set the world straight.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-89097640601361095832011-11-17T23:17:00.000-07:002011-11-17T23:17:18.886-07:00The Big Picture at Kanakuk's Link Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfIVt_tvjOvAKTamBHtV93ZGjTx3WJCU8oDK8aw9yOe9CoiXs_37EPQIlRrFW_eUl5dkeN2XTi33az31PbvZOxZ_2_DPGr08T2wx-cvtZ3mEaQEwIHnpjHZ09TGddUWa9LSUYPjfY4-E/s1600/linklogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQfIVt_tvjOvAKTamBHtV93ZGjTx3WJCU8oDK8aw9yOe9CoiXs_37EPQIlRrFW_eUl5dkeN2XTi33az31PbvZOxZ_2_DPGr08T2wx-cvtZ3mEaQEwIHnpjHZ09TGddUWa9LSUYPjfY4-E/s1600/linklogo.png" /></a></div><span class="fullpost">It was my pleasure to spend the last three days at Kanakuk's Link Year program. As I love to do - we started in Genesis and ended in Revelation. We talked Covenant and Kingdom. We envisioned the convergence of Heaven and Earth.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And most importantly, we found with our brains and felt with our hearts some invigorating ways to move our lives forward - ways in which those students will build (in bits and pieces) the Kingdom that Messiah will complete when he returns.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">The students were both sharp and respectful. The conversations were crisp and the re-connections with my old friends were just plain fun.</span><br />
<span class="fullpost"> </span><br />
<span class="fullpost">Many thanks to the students, to "the Adams" Martin and Donyes, and to the rest of the quality leadership team at the Kanakuk Link Year for their warm hospitality and for their kind reception of my take on the greatest meta-story ever told.</span><br />
<span class="fullpost"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-51203814916279324942011-10-28T00:40:00.001-06:002011-10-28T00:57:47.549-06:00Leadership Lunacy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8RUkxZNrxRLGi_lKOAvHPx1grjU8SXyLPu42WQy2Dexu2mbBriJ4GyWDyRPSUCo08wz6SeDefVNGcEXJLH_yP8YHRzpf9v6cxMtuq7MROcMI9R3vuCDmB0LxsIdwrHG-cFDKNLBfdfY/s1600/lshipconfuse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8RUkxZNrxRLGi_lKOAvHPx1grjU8SXyLPu42WQy2Dexu2mbBriJ4GyWDyRPSUCo08wz6SeDefVNGcEXJLH_yP8YHRzpf9v6cxMtuq7MROcMI9R3vuCDmB0LxsIdwrHG-cFDKNLBfdfY/s400/lshipconfuse.jpg" width="400" /></a><span class="fullpost">A friend of mine has an entire bookcase jammed full of tomes on the topic of <b>leadership</b> and you know - just thinking about those sagging shelves gives me a <b>headache</b>. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">I get a headache because popular leadership authors almost invariably propose "The 10 Steps to Laudable Leadership" or "The 7 Habits of the Workplace Wunderkind" or "The 92 Traits of . . . " and on and on and on. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">One book's title, "Leadership for Dummies", is perhaps the most telling example of leadership lunacy. Dummies, indeed. </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>
<span class="fullpost">I believe you'll get <b>more than a headache</b> if you try to internalize that plethora of often-conflicting techniques and traits and types and trainings. I believe you'll become a <b>chronically anxious</b> pseudo-leader</span><span class="fullpost"> - starved for one more technique or one more magic leadership bullet, yet confused by how you still feel so out-of-control.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">There's a better answer, my friends. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">I've written on the fundamental elegance of Edwin Friedman's application of <b>Family Systems Theory</b> to the discipline of leadership elsewhere around here. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">I've recommended the excellent "<b>Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue</b>" and "<b>A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix</b>" for those of us that can stomach a bit of academic reading, and I've recommended "<b>Friedman's Fables</b>" for those that would prefer something lighter.</span><br />
<br />
And now, through the magic of YouTube, I give you the lightest of all introductions to our dear deceased Dr. Friedman's brilliant work. <br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RgdcljNV-Ew" width="560"></iframe>
</center><br />
May you never again suffer aching of the head or heart due to Leadership Lunacy. Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-16102091267291581192011-06-28T02:29:00.014-06:002011-06-29T00:24:36.604-06:00Climbing and LivingI'm thrilled about a number of things these days.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIVfQeoggb81ujw8evvlrtOhPOjmsfuWoI4Z-b15hiExp4D-c0qdet6so_rnhW-oxho_JgZq6LgEsY_m4SACBnnjInDaxlct9xDuG0VPiyTpi_uR9C1_c83Rg88CrwX17UcgnFpvv_fQ/s1600/compintl.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIVfQeoggb81ujw8evvlrtOhPOjmsfuWoI4Z-b15hiExp4D-c0qdet6so_rnhW-oxho_JgZq6LgEsY_m4SACBnnjInDaxlct9xDuG0VPiyTpi_uR9C1_c83Rg88CrwX17UcgnFpvv_fQ/s1600/compintl.gif" /></a>For instance, I'm thrilled to be investing my time and my gifts in a vocation that anticipates what Messiah will do when he returns. <br />
<br />
I'm thrilled to be a small part of some significant ministry work being done by a great team of super-talented yet nonetheless-still-human folk.<br />
<br />
And I'm thrilled to be able to provide for my family in the context of the above vocation. Believe me, it doesn't always work out that way.<br />
<br />
Many thanks go to Compassion International for being such a tremendous blessing both to kids around the world and to its employees.<br />
<br />
Yes, as they say, "it's all good!". And looking back, it's been an interesting journey so far - to say the least!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Six years ago I decided to leave the successful technology businesses that my partner and I had created. I set out on a new adventure: The Goal was to use my full strength and my full faculties - that is, to use my vocation - to help build what a most noteworthy ancient book calls "The Kingdom".<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVpv08FpiFyNwh_fxXH2ssg7VNmLdPD0TVxHNgc8EUaykjSwkzjKvJx7K75i168eljHOFe0z61PBA3lhQfPrVtiMJvrjVju1ZXe6S0bQwUS21IgEDy_8xtH0I5i4kB9iVrpTbKPBLeAY/s1600/ppeak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVpv08FpiFyNwh_fxXH2ssg7VNmLdPD0TVxHNgc8EUaykjSwkzjKvJx7K75i168eljHOFe0z61PBA3lhQfPrVtiMJvrjVju1ZXe6S0bQwUS21IgEDy_8xtH0I5i4kB9iVrpTbKPBLeAY/s1600/ppeak.jpg" /></a></div>I liken the experience of the last six years to climbing a mountain (I know - that's a big surprise coming from me!).<br />
<br />
In fact, during the last week I've climbed two peaks over 14,000 feet in elevation - so the comparison is especially fresh.<br />
<blockquote><i>This Father's Day I awoke at 3:00 AM, grabbed a quick shower, threw my pack in the car and rushed to The Crags trailhead. </i> </blockquote><blockquote><i>I was super-stoked to achieve The Goal - to climb Pikes Peak. </i> </blockquote><blockquote><i>My mind raced from issue to issue (Batteries charged - check! Weather forecast - good! Protein AND carbs in the pack - got it!). All systems GO!</i></blockquote>For me, this is the way all adventures start - with an overwhelming sense of anticipation mixed with mild apprehension at the Unknown, and all of it carried along by a strong desire for forward momentum to complete the mission.<br />
<br />
And this, on a much larger scale, is exactly how my six-year life-mission began.<br />
<br />
I examined my options, I prepared my family, I did my best to plan for contingencies and then - with great anticipation and apprehension alike - off we went!<br />
<blockquote><i>The first few miles up Pikes Peak were exhilarating. The cool, crisp mountain air - still a novelty to me - made me feel stronger just to inhale it. </i> </blockquote><blockquote><i>Going up felt easy, and I recall thoughts of thanksgiving just to have the opportunity to be there - to exercise my will in a way that some would understand and that many others would not.</i> </blockquote><blockquote><i>And then - just as I topped a huge monolith gaining almost a thousand feet of elevation - <b>I realized I'd taken a wrong turn</b>. The specter of failure cast its ugly shadow over what began in a glorious charge.</i></blockquote>You know, I'd like to report that over the last six years I performed with perfect prognostication and consummate clairvoyance. I'd love to say that I was able to predict with precision the outcome of my predilections.<br />
<br />
But alas, my life-journey has included a few "wrong turns". Whatever the case, whatever the cause and whomever defaulted - you know what I'm talking about.<br />
<br />
Sometimes promises don't pan out, sometimes relationships run ragged and sometimes hopes are held hostage. The fact is - you, me and those we choose to partner with, even on our best days, are still human, still flawed and still incapable of a "God's Eye" view.<br />
<br />
All of the above means that wranglings and wrong turns and deviations and diversions will inevitably be tracked over the terrain of a life lived towards a Goal.<br />
<br />
And lest I leave the impression that I personally handle these Detours with a big ol' smile on my face - let me admit that the same uncertainties, doubts and fears of failure accompany me as they do you!<br />
<blockquote><i>I backtracked down the mile or so I'd climbed - losing that precious elevation, that precious energy and that oh-so-precious psyche that are so central to achieving goals in the mountains. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>I was failing. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Not surprisingly, on my right the chattering birds paid no attention to my shortcomings and on my left the self-absorbed creek uttered no consolation for my loss</i><i> as I wandered dejectedly back down the Walk of Shame</i><i>.</i></blockquote>Isn't it interesting how quickly our enthusiasm wanes when we hit a Detour? I liken it to eating a breakfast of delicious Cocoa Krispies. Ohhh, the taste and the texture - I could almost take them intravenously!<br />
<br />
But my, how rapidly that sugar-high turns into dragging lack and loss! And so it is with Detours.<br />
<br />
One of the more surreal aspects of a Detour is the way some folks around us continue on their own paths like those birds and that creek - unaffected by our frustration and unconcerned for our pain.<br />
<br />
This common human reaction (an artifact, I believe, of the quite-reasonable instinct for survival) causes us to feel even more isolated - as if we're the only ones that have ever hit a Detour.<br />
<br />
Of course the truth is, as we've already seen, <b>everyone that lives life on-purpose hits Detours.</b> As Bruce Hornsby used to sing it, "That's just the way it is...".<br />
<blockquote><i>As in mild sadness I passed an antediluvian weakness in the massive wall to my left, I noticed an obscure trail leading up, up, up - up what appeared to be a thousand feet of aspen-choked near-verticality. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Hmmm. "Might that thing lead somewhere interesting?", I wondered, "somewhere towards . . . the . . . uhh . . . ummm."</i></blockquote>Remarkable about the human will are the smoldering embers of resilience that lie just beneath those lifeless coals drowned by Detour's downpour.<br />
<blockquote><i>"Just give that line a try." said a faint whisper in my ear, "Who knows where it will lead, and honestly, who cares?"</i> </blockquote><blockquote><i>The amplitude increased, "You'll never know 'till you try and you'll certainly learn something. All right - get up there!" </i> </blockquote><blockquote><i>That nasty goat-path was hard climbing indeed, but the lure of learning something new and the joy of pure self-determination won out over laziness and self-pity. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>I dragged my sorry patoot up past the banana-shaped monolith, up through the dense pine forest, and ultimately up to the magical place known as treeline - where Planet Earth transforms into a harsh, yet still strangely inviting moonscape. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>As the blasting wind on that 60 degree rubble slope threatened to blow me back to the Midwest, as my head spun from exertion at altitude and as I finally topped out on the ancient scree cone, my bleary eyes saw again my old friend - The Goal. </i> </blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_NCu4fM0qbgG39ln8vbKtN_g6fGjmSbEScBAO6FEi-KtkKbhNwt61P38bCKuq6uq-LceqPZzqTfCbyzMK8a6EX3imUIOzmuPmm4va1NsGw_NsD69gT38pysuhyYqEbTTswrK-ijawBkw/s1600/peak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_NCu4fM0qbgG39ln8vbKtN_g6fGjmSbEScBAO6FEi-KtkKbhNwt61P38bCKuq6uq-LceqPZzqTfCbyzMK8a6EX3imUIOzmuPmm4va1NsGw_NsD69gT38pysuhyYqEbTTswrK-ijawBkw/s1600/peak.jpg" /></a>As Pikes Peak finally came into view I was filled with renewed vision, vigor and commitment.<br />
<br />
And so it was that I ultimately made it to the top of the mountain and back down this Father's Day - a 16 mile round trip filled with big ups and big downs, with exasperation and with excitement, with delight and with Detours.<br />
<br />
<b>My hope today is for you to be encouraged - for a life lived well, a life lived on purpose, is just like that. </b><br />
<br />
As for me, I'm a lot farther along toward The Goal than I was six years ago. Oh, there's sure to be a "sucker buttress" somewhere ahead and I'll bet there's a Detour or two yet to come. But the good news is - the Summit's still in view.<br />
<br />
Heaven help us to see it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-67652648540904211832011-06-07T21:59:00.006-06:002011-06-07T22:49:22.871-06:00The Love of Beauty<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4NTep5ySRv29KFZ9_85shs7-atRVkHQ9IneRGP-wTdw-OWhig4blJec9YCovfBGeS0pqL8cg1N5WcKO58kK9kvUQ16e-oFyYTbNrFXNrfeHlldlW6yS_VKWVux6lERjaHD1jGIdmRbw/s1600/IMG_3696+Jenny+Lake+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4NTep5ySRv29KFZ9_85shs7-atRVkHQ9IneRGP-wTdw-OWhig4blJec9YCovfBGeS0pqL8cg1N5WcKO58kK9kvUQ16e-oFyYTbNrFXNrfeHlldlW6yS_VKWVux6lERjaHD1jGIdmRbw/s320/IMG_3696+Jenny+Lake+1.jpg" width="213" /></a><span class="fullpost">In Tom Wright's magnificent little book <i>Simply Christian</i>, he reasons that our attachment to beauty is an echo of God's voice. You could say that it's a pointer to Yahweh's original creation song.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">This afternoon I had a few moments to gaze at Beauty herself, to hear the faint echoes of our Creator's voice reverberating in the high desert through which I ran. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">For me, the joy of running itself is a beautiful expression of the freedom that comes from truly believing in, hoping for and working toward the fullness of his coming Kingdom.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And then tonight I sat with my favorite coffee watching the sun settle over Colorado's most famous of mountain peaks - the longing in my soul slowly percolating to once again travel deep into the heart of those sometimes terrifying, always invigorating slabs of stone on yet one more adventure. </span><br />
<br />
For me, it all points to a great Day yet to come, when perhaps, if it were possible, the air may be even a bit crisper - when perhaps, if it were possible, the colors may be even a bit brighter. And when, for sure, the nagging fear that it must all come to an End - will be no more.<br />
<blockquote><i>Father, thank you for beautiful moments like these - moments that echo your very own voice that fills and stills our souls. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Thank you for Creation, for her pointers to New Creation and for the promise of the Resurrection where we will forever live with you.</i></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-34220659795260478242011-05-22T08:19:00.007-06:002011-05-22T09:18:12.535-06:00Harold Camping, the Rapture and the Christian Hope<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkvuWSiTcw9L1wViphmuPASSi4tSCtJD1sQqeuO49Mm95F4AsuX5N2Un8XfZjCMvAtm5_N7dAiG8zb97TJHm1i36FuzNGP8Wkdae56HlmQAReznMQM71PmSdQsra4oACkHyscu8Rm4hE/s1600/hc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkvuWSiTcw9L1wViphmuPASSi4tSCtJD1sQqeuO49Mm95F4AsuX5N2Un8XfZjCMvAtm5_N7dAiG8zb97TJHm1i36FuzNGP8Wkdae56HlmQAReznMQM71PmSdQsra4oACkHyscu8Rm4hE/s1600/hc.jpg" /></a><span class="fullpost">Well, it's Sunday, May 22. The "Rapture" did not occur yesterday and Christians did not fly away to Heaven. And so I'm still here - in my office - on planet Earth.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Thank God! </span><br />
<br />
I'll spare you the details of exactly why Harold Camping is both a moron (in modern terminology) and a false prophet (in Biblical terminology). A multitude of websites have already discussed his foolishness at length.<br />
<br />
Rather, I think it's a good time to remember what the Judeo-Christian story ACTUALLY proposes for the future of the whole wide world.<br />
<br />
The Old Testament prophets, writing after the great Davidic kingdom had waned into the depressing Exile, looked forward to Yahweh's return to Earth. His power, they said, would again come to his planet in the person of a great ruler - the Messiah.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>A young Jewish prophet rose to that Messianic vocation in the 1st century - fulfilling it in many expected ways, and in a few that were perplexing to his countrymen. His execution on a Roman cross was especially difficult to reconcile, if only for a few days.<br />
<br />
Because his subsequent resurrection became the turning point of history for those who pay attention to such things. His resurrection provided the answer to that great prayer he taught his disciples to pray. <br />
<br />
That prayer is worth remembering today - the day after the failure of one more frail, foolish and feeble prediction made by one more nonsensical "Christian minister" and his poor followers.<br />
<br />
The young prophet said,<br />
<blockquote><i>"Pray, then, in this way: </i><br />
<br />
<i>Our Father who is in heaven,</i><br />
<i>Hallowed be Your name.</i><br />
<i>Your kingdom come,</i><br />
<i>Your will be done,</i><br />
<i>On earth as it is in heaven.</i><br />
<i>Give us this day our daily bread.</i><br />
<i>And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.</i><br />
<i>And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil."</i> - Matthew 6:9-13</blockquote>Notice the direction of the movement in our Master's prayer? "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth...".<br />
<br />
It's not about us flying away to leave God's beautiful planet to rot and decay.<br />
<br />
Yes, there is a verse in Paul's writings that have led scores of ham-fisted interpreters over the centuries to conclude that God was indeed abandoning his Creation. But the sweep of the Judeo-Christian narrative from Genesis through Revelation proposes the exact opposite.<br />
<br />
The focus of God's redemptive work, and the location of his affections, is right here on planet Earth. <br />
<br />
Notice the direction of the movement in Revelation 21:1-3...<br />
<blockquote><i>"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, </i></blockquote><blockquote><i>'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them..." </i></blockquote>You see - Heaven comes to Earth, not the other way around! <br />
<br />
So, for all the would-be Bible teachers of this world, PLEASE learn what the phrase "apocalyptic language" means, learn how the ancient Jewish writers used that literary style and learn how to properly interpret it.<br />
<br />
PLEASE learn the sweep of the ENTIRE Judeo-Christian proposal, from Genesis through Revelation.<br />
<br />
PLEASE learn before you spew foolishness from your pulpits. There would be far fewer Harold Campings to deal with if the "teachers" just spent some time learning how to properly interpret the Great Story. <br />
<br />
For the rest of us, let's look forward to that great Day (there's no way to predict when it will come!) when Messiah will return to bring his Kingdom fully, when he will resurrect those who are his to live forever with him in the renovated New Heaven and New Earth.<br />
<blockquote>"<i>and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."</i> - Revelation 21:4 </blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-87007012915956910552011-05-06T01:26:00.021-06:002011-05-06T11:05:05.409-06:00Violence Visits bin Laden: Is Might Ever Right?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0nxtiFLLuFC1lrKcZHP2HRnimK1jeVaAne2QkfRnzA1K8jd4CTaGoM0vbi9fk50deB_sAQQ4JQmw2PlFoXrhQGkCazCRkDdrsEzVgr60RKHX4QboxVnBhbWbOBPWWJ7xLNOC-SWsGBE/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0nxtiFLLuFC1lrKcZHP2HRnimK1jeVaAne2QkfRnzA1K8jd4CTaGoM0vbi9fk50deB_sAQQ4JQmw2PlFoXrhQGkCazCRkDdrsEzVgr60RKHX4QboxVnBhbWbOBPWWJ7xLNOC-SWsGBE/s200/images.jpg" width="132" /></a><span class="fullpost">I apologize in advance for the length of this post - but the recent American military action bringing Osama bin Laden to justice, and the ubiquitous interpretation of the event from Christians prompts me to write, and perhaps write too much. :)</span><br />
<br />
<hr /><br />
<span class="fullpost">"The Bible says..." </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">If there's one thing I've learned from the brilliant Third Quest theologians, it's that we must guard against the all-to-common habit in Christendom of taking a bit of the Bible and arbitrarily turning it into a "timeless truth".</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">The main reason we must guard against this habit is that the Bible is not merely a book of "wise sayings", such as "Confucius says, 'Don't eat yellow snow!'". </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="fullpost">As I've often said, it doesn't matter whether you're in the year 2000 B.C., or in the 1st century, or in 2011 or in 3050 - just don't do it. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">DON'T EAT YELLOW SNOW! :)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Why? Because whatever time period you're in, whatever the culture, and inside whatever historical narrative you're playing your part - yellow snow is only yellow for one (very disgusting) reason. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">"Don't eat yellow snow!" is therefore a timeless truth. It makes sense in just about any context you can conjure up.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">HOWEVER, the Bible just is not that sort of thing. The Bible is a single, connected story that binds the past, the present and a glorious promised future into a cohesive "meta-narrative". </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Each part of the Bible must be allowed to make sense in the time and context in which it was written. Each verse of each chapter of each book of each culture of each historical period must be seen as the outworking of the Will of a single Author. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">The Bible is like a Broadway play written by Yahweh himself.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">It must not be chopped up into anecdotes or sound bites or timeless truths. When well-meaning Christians do so, the majestic Judeo-Christian narrative falls to pieces. This results in new, anachronistic and sometimes bizarre theological trajectories that lead Christendom to ridiculous places.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And again, I owe all the above understanding to meticulous readings over the last 10 years </span><span class="fullpost">of the brilliant theologians I often quote on this site.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">But in times like these - when evil runs rampant and threatens to obliterate the innocent - it seems that Christians and even Christian leaders are tempted to forget all of the above, and take one of two sides - either pacifism or warmongering. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">It's as if we lose our theological and philosophical minds, and rush to whatever position is most expedient to us.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">I submit to you that both pacifism and warmongering miss the mark by a country mile. Let me be more direct: "Christian Pacifists" and "Christian Warmongers" ignore both the trajectory of the Judeo-Christian story as well as the realities of living in our broken world.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">For example, "Christian Pacifists" take the unique Messianic work of Jesus done in the 1st century (done for a particular purpose to fulfill a particular vocation at a particular time in the history of both Israel and of the whole world) and make "timeless truths" out of his sayings.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">A favorite statement of Jesus used by these well-meaning but misguided folks is the famous "put down your sword - he who lives by the sword dies by the sword" saying given when Peter cut off the soldier's ear.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">"See Mike", I can hear them saying, "Jesus says right there that we must never own swords! So get rid of your guns, brother!".</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And I say, "Nonsense!". Notice that in </span><span class="fullpost">Luke 22:36-38, just before his betrayal, Jesus tells his disciples to buy swords!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">I'll say it again - Jesus told his disciples to BUY SWORDS! </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">So, my well-meaning friend - which statement of Jesus are you going to rip out of its historical and Messianic context? Let me guess, you'll choose the one most expedient to your purposes.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">If you're a "Christian Pacifist", you'll proudly proclaim that "Jesus told Peter to put down his sword, so I must put down mine!", and you'll ignore the bit about buying swords.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">If you're a "Christian Warmonger", you'll run out and buy swords "because Jesus said to buy 'em" and you'll ignore the bit about putting them down.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Do you see the error in both positions? Both positions IGNORE the rest of the metanarrative. Both positions impose a preconceived pacifist or warmongering position on "whether violence can be right" onto the text.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Both positions create foolish trajectories for Christendom that reach logical conclusions either of Evil running rampant over the civilized world (pacifism) or of misguided religious zealotry bombing everything in sight (warmongering).</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">By the way, be aware that God advocated the use of force in the Old Testament, and he's promised to bring judgment in quite forceful ways to the Earth as he brings his Kingdom at the end of the age. If you doubt what I'm saying, try reading Isaiah, Jeremiah and Zechariah in the OT as well the book of Revelation in the NT. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And yes, I've done my fair share of study on the ancient usage of apocalyptic language. Quite simply, there's no viable way you can read the OT and Revelation, and then say with any sensibility that the "concrete referent" of all that fiery judgment language (including Jesus leading his army to defeat the armies of the Beast) is merely God waving a magic wand to make all the mean people into nice people. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">That's just silly.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">No, what we need is a more nuanced response to evil. As I've mentioned elsewhere, the great theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw exactly this as World War II played out. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">We need to recognize that we're not yet in that great Kingdom that Revelation promises. We can't wish it into being with our foolish, wimpy pacifism. We can't bomb it into being with our arrogant, ugly warmongering. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Even Jesus said that only Yahweh knows the time when he'll send Messiah back to the planet.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And on that great day, when the Righteous Judge appears - the elegant Judeo-Christian story says that he will judge the wicked, remove Evil from the planet, abolish Death, renovate the cosmos and rule in absolute Justice through those of us that follow him.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">So in between the Now of this broken world, and the Not Yet of that coming Kingdom - I propose just such a nuanced response to Evil. That is, a careful restraint (no warmongering or greedy self-interest!) that at the same time is willing to pull the trigger when all else fails - to stop Evil from overwhelming the planet. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost"><b>Now</b> is not the time to beat our swords into plowshares, neither is it the time to re-launch the Crusades. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost"><b>Now</b> is the time to pray that our leaders, with their finger on the big red button, will be filled with the Spirit - for they may need restraint or they may need to push it. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost"><b>Now</b> is the time to pray that the brave men of Special Operations, and their leaders, will follow Messiah and be filled with the Spirit - for they are tasked with wading into the muck of this world and cleaning some of it up. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost"><b>Now</b> is the time to fully, soberly and prayerfully recognize our individual duty to use our particular gifts and skills to bring justice in whatever measure we can to this little planet - for if we do not, then Evil will prevail.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost"><b>And now</b> is the time for us to live ever more in anticipation of the Kingdom to come - when Justice with a capital "J" will arrive once and for all.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-37482224315609676392011-05-03T00:33:00.007-06:002011-05-04T10:42:26.298-06:00Osama bin Laden, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and N.T. Wright<span class="fullpost">I hear you. How on earth can I justify putting those three names anywhere near each other? Well, hang with me for a bit - I'm processing the interesting international events that have unfolded over the last few days and this is just how it goes with me!</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1qOKs5dFpVHEgpHyVv80ohdUYCwkQL0WXSa2mEHPertdDBXPqA8YwIpka3ohBkX1kLFYSjx2_v5akFg5YPnmWmekYQlPQwuoPw63j0CxxdANaZAtWjtqaH-1uI7z24VojvwQPsx_wCs/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1qOKs5dFpVHEgpHyVv80ohdUYCwkQL0WXSa2mEHPertdDBXPqA8YwIpka3ohBkX1kLFYSjx2_v5akFg5YPnmWmekYQlPQwuoPw63j0CxxdANaZAtWjtqaH-1uI7z24VojvwQPsx_wCs/s200/images.jpg" width="132" /></a><span class="fullpost">As the news of Osama bin Laden's demise spread far and wide, I thought of Tom Wright's excellent book <i>Simply Christian</i>. It's aimed at both everyday Christians trying to make sense of the world around them, and at non-Christians that may wonder why we make all the fuss about Jesus and the Judeo-Christian story.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">In <i>Simply Christian</i>, Tom identifies a few universal human traits that he calls "echoes of a voice" - echoes, in fact, of the voice of God. I thought today of one of those echoes that has many times reverberated off the walls of my heart during the last troubling decade. That is, the longing for justice.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Tom reasons that our longing for justice - the universal desire we have to see wrongs righted, to see criminals thwarted, to see the innocent protected - is a steadfast pointer to the voice and will of God himself. These impulses are remnants, he says, of Adam's original vocational call - to steward the Earth and all its inhabitants with wisdom and justice for all.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">To me, that's not only brilliant but emotionally satisfying as well.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdAK9lHdVV5Ngp1qzhLQNw6i_aZCSuqgNwq9OYTpWoci3b84oY2rni_c1IbrtCsqsPpMWYsWqH3p71v3QToc68NMZ7bymM_aOz_C3x4XrusU9fdPVYoSkxxCt2Q0QWYK1FmYF0hatNug/s1600/BonhoefferEthics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdAK9lHdVV5Ngp1qzhLQNw6i_aZCSuqgNwq9OYTpWoci3b84oY2rni_c1IbrtCsqsPpMWYsWqH3p71v3QToc68NMZ7bymM_aOz_C3x4XrusU9fdPVYoSkxxCt2Q0QWYK1FmYF0hatNug/s1600/BonhoefferEthics.jpg" /></a><span class="fullpost"> </span><br />
<span class="fullpost">But I'm also drawn to Dietrich Bonhoeffer's provocative situation and viewpoint as I ponder how the world will respond to bin Laden's death. For me, Bonhoeffer's <i>Ethics</i>, on which I've written a few times around here, is the gold standard on justice and dealing with evil. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">I have great respect for Bonhoeffer, as do so many Christians, because of the unique perspective (smack in the face of Hitler's Evil) from which he reasoned. Theorists and practitioners alike pay homage to him because of this.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">FYI, World War II began with Bonhoeffer as a pacifist, and ended a few weeks after his execution for helping to plot Hitler's assassination. </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="fullpost">So if you can't stomach a full reading of <i>Ethics</i> (few people can!) in order to understand how the great theologian saw his responsibility to take decisive action in the face of encroaching evil, then watch Tom Cruise's <i>Valkyrie</i> to get the gist of what Bonhoeffer was involved in. At his death, Bonhoeffer was no simple pacifist!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And so, how do I see the events surrounding bin Laden's death? Well, I see both Wright's and Bonhoeffer's positions as complements in the appropriate American response to bin Laden's Evil.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">In my eyes, I see our longing for justice (Wright) as the prime motivator to take the responsible action (Bonhoeffer) necessary to stop al Qaeda.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Given that we're suspended between the inaugurated but not fully completed Kingdom that Jesus announced in the 1st century, and the fully consummated Kingdom to come that Jesus will bring when he returns - </span><span class="fullpost">this is the only way in today's broken world </span><span class="fullpost">to keep Evil from overwhelming the planet.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Please understand that I am not joyous at bin Laden's demise - I'm not giddy and I'm not partying. No, for me this is one more sober reminder that we are not yet in that great Kingdom that the book of Revelation promises to those that follow Messiah.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">But I am pleased to see that human beings still possess the capacity to implement Justice (as temporary, as imperfect and as imprecise as our version 1.0 of it may be). </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And I'm encouraged to hope ever more for Justice, version 2.0 - the reign of Messiah himself coming to planet Earth - where there will be no more sorrow, no more crying and no more pain. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">For on that Day, these former things will have all passed away. </span><br />
<span class="fullpost"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-8641381517099729492011-04-24T02:23:00.005-06:002011-04-24T10:20:17.136-06:00Easter: Resurrection and New CreationI know, I know - Easter's a pagan fertility cult holiday that's been hijacked by the Church. Well never fear - I'm no pagan, I don't have ties to a fertility cult and there's not a bunny in the house! :) <br />
<br />
I wrote this little bit last year, and the last 12 months have, if nothing else, served to heighten these hopes and deepen these dreams in my soul.<br />
<br />
<hr /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhz9qIy-huqe-xwcmgeUX1Xi13PiNaGfyaMMzs_fP2NW5Xr47Iwr4R3ofiDR4eZODDZdB71epbXB___mtboohU2ZhI2SHTFJsoqPl6ip3mPT3KgTm84q6_iPt6TrmcPqwXoeIW53rwl8/s1600/Autumn_Pic_Milwaukee_WI_9__soul-amp%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhz9qIy-huqe-xwcmgeUX1Xi13PiNaGfyaMMzs_fP2NW5Xr47Iwr4R3ofiDR4eZODDZdB71epbXB___mtboohU2ZhI2SHTFJsoqPl6ip3mPT3KgTm84q6_iPt6TrmcPqwXoeIW53rwl8/s200/Autumn_Pic_Milwaukee_WI_9__soul-amp%255B1%255D.jpg" width="140" /></a>When I was 5, Easter meant shiny dress shoes muddied on strange little egg hunts. Sure, I vaguely understood that something cool happened thousands of years ago in a tomb in Israel - but loads of candy ultimately took my attention away from any pondering on that subject.<br />
<br />
When I was 25, of course Easter meant more. It meant the sins I'd committed were really forgiven. That empty tomb was a great source of relief. After all, the weight of my transgressions was no longer mine to bear.<br />
<br />
But now, Easter means everything to me. It fills my thoughts for today and my hopes for the future. And not just for me and for my sins and for my agendas - but for the whole wide world. Easter validates all those dreams of the prophets and all those hopes of the common folk.<br />
<br />
Because Easter says that this world and all of us that live in it are not throwaways, that we're not destined for the trash pile. Because Easter says that death and all its related horrors will one day be removed from our list of concerns. Because Easter says that <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span> will one day be made new.<br />
<br />
And that means a tidal wave of possibilities has flooded into this world and replaced that nagging, incessant fear of loss that plagues everyone from beggars to board members, from prostitutes to presidents.<br />
<br />
New Creation - some now and some not yet - for all who have eyes to see it. Yeah baby!<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Father, we join in that great song of thanks to you sung by millions today across the planet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you for your resurrection power that even now through your people plants the seeds of what is to come. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Thank you for the day when Messiah will return to make everything new, when those with eyes to see will experience the fullness of New Creation.</span></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-44689927800168466232011-04-07T23:40:00.003-06:002011-04-13T00:11:40.777-06:00Leadership and The Princess Bride<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JnVM0oiM9XYSKA0NMTeaQBGwCVANldMKnmyg9OhNOY0P5_cftLSnD_9sSaEAVfbGdOfmO70O_s24XKAQg57qJGe1mKcfwzzVBBjlmkd-kayY2AF71ZI6wRZyYPpNUaAnmDDZCBzlmsk/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0JnVM0oiM9XYSKA0NMTeaQBGwCVANldMKnmyg9OhNOY0P5_cftLSnD_9sSaEAVfbGdOfmO70O_s24XKAQg57qJGe1mKcfwzzVBBjlmkd-kayY2AF71ZI6wRZyYPpNUaAnmDDZCBzlmsk/s200/images.jpg" width="153" /></a>I'm reminded of a scene in <i>The Princess Bride - </i>one of our favorite movies. You remember the part I'm talking about - where Vizzini keeps exclaiming "inconceivable!" as the Man in Black gains on his ship.<br />
<br />
Westley has almost caught up and Vizzini yells "inconceivable!" one last time.<br />
<br />
Inigo then classically replies, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means."<br />
<br />
Yes, people keep using that word - "leadership". Preachers, teachers, authors and businessmen throw the term around like crazy. But in many cases, like Inigo, "I do not think it means what they think it means." :)<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Here's my proposition. <br />
<blockquote>Three fundamental things must be in place for you to be a leader. There's more, to be sure. But let's look for now at just these three.<br />
<br />
<b>1) Good leaders must be in motion - they must be going somewhere.</b> </blockquote><blockquote>Think about it. How, exactly, can I follow you - if you're not moving? I know - this seems simplistic. </blockquote><blockquote>But I challenge you to take a close look at a few leaders in your life, and see if they're actually moving you and those around you to any place in particular. Are they moving in any discernable direction, or are they simply occupying a position?<br />
<br />
In my observations, many "leaders" are just taking up space.<br />
<br />
<b>2) Good leaders have a constantly increasing tolerance for risk.</b> </blockquote><blockquote>So you're moving, But you naturally don't want to tread back over the same old ground. And your followers won't want to either. </blockquote><blockquote>So you'll need to strike out in adventurous, new directions. And so - that means you must have an increasing tolerance for risk. </blockquote><blockquote>Notice I did not say by <i>how much</i> your tolerance for risk must increase at each interval. Thus I am not saying you must go directly from bravely climbing a stepladder in your living room, to boldly free-solo climbing El Capitan. </blockquote><blockquote>We'd be presenting your next of kin with your honorary Darwin Award at the funeral, and that would be shame - yes? :)<br />
<br />
However, the definition of the word "leading" implies that you must have the capacity to assess and tolerate ever-increasing amounts of risk. </blockquote><blockquote>Even if the incremental increase is tiny - it means that you are moving, that you are going somewhere and that you are courageously stepping into what is, for you and your followers, the Great Unknown. </blockquote><blockquote><b>3) Good leaders lead through even their own uncertainty.</b> </blockquote><blockquote>There's a dirty little secret of the human condition I've seen glossed over by some smug pseudo-leaders that act as if they've got all the answers. Now don't tell anyone I shared this with you - but here's the secret. </blockquote><blockquote>Ladies and gentlemen - <i><b>the future is vague, foggy and uncertain for all of us, including our leaders.</b></i> </blockquote><blockquote>Rich or poor, beautiful or not-so, intelligent or less-so - it doesn't matter. The future is full of ambiguity and uncertainty no matter who you are. So if the future's foggy for everyone, including our leaders - what then differentiates true leaders from the rest of us? </blockquote>Again, there are lots of character traits, behaviors and such that characterize true leaders. But underneath it all, I believe you'll find these attributes.<br />
<br />
True leaders will be in motion and they'll train themselves to appropriately expand their risk tolerance.<br />
<br />
True leaders will stand up and lead through the fog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-29751998245019529842011-03-17T23:56:00.015-06:002011-03-30T14:49:32.385-06:00Tom Wright on Apologetics<span class="fullpost">Those of you who've been in one of my classes should find this useful. If that's not you, then you have my permission to skip this post. :)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Last November, just before Dr. N.T. Wright arrived in Atlanta for a fascinating series of meetings I've chronicled <a href="http://www.mikealeckson.com/2010/11/atlanta-ets-and-nt-wright.html">elsewhere</a>, Tom spoke at Trinity Western University on the subjects of apologetics, his book <i>Simply Christian</i> and, though he didn't explicitly say so, the application of a critical realist epistemology to the Christian faith (say THAT 3 times quickly!). </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span class="fullpost">Here's the video.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/sgZjLBaXCeg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<span class="fullpost">It's a long video, but do check out Tom's comments at 16:50 and onwards - on the current trend in what Tom calls "modernist Christian apologetics". </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">This is certainly the method of the apologetics texts I've read. Dr. William Lane Craig, perhaps the most notable Christian apologist of our time (Tom mentions him at 18:25), is quite famous for using this approach. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">The method of the Christian modernist is to work really hard to stack up facts or data, and then, bit by bit, try to prove that God exists, or that he created the universe or some other tenet of the Christian faith.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">In contrast to that modernist way of thinking, I've written quite alot around here about my critical realist view of the world. Put simply, I believe:</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="fullpost">1) there is absolute truth "out there" and it can be discovered...</span><br />
<span class="fullpost">2) but my grasp on that truth is colored by the reality that I don't know it all, by my upbringing, by my experiences and by a host of other factors.</span><br />
<span class="fullpost">3) so I could be wrong.</span></blockquote><span class="fullpost">This leads me to take this position:</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="fullpost"> "After much careful thought, I believe the Christian story makes the most sense of the past, the present and the future. Therefore, I have adopted it as my worldview. However, if someone can provide a better story, that better explains the past and our present, and proposes a better future - then I'm all ears."</span></blockquote><span class="fullpost">In short, I <i>believe</i> the Christian story. I can't <i>prove</i> it with a stack of facts. I can't <i>measure</i> it in a laboratory. Isn't that the very nature of faith itself?</span><br />
<span class="fullpost"><br />
Sure, there is quite a lot of data pointing to the truthfulness of certain high points - the resurrection of Jesus to me being the most important of those.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">But in the end, I can't prove Christianity any more than Tom Cruise can prove Scientology or any more than Richard Dawkins can prove his theories of the origin of the universe.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Tom Wright, as always, has captured this so very well in <i>Simply Christian</i>. Grab a copy and read it - it'll be time well-spent! </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-77165254253585100902011-02-08T10:30:00.009-07:002015-07-22T10:45:01.525-06:00Adventures in Space and Time<span class="fullpost">Some of the most exciting adventures I've experienced have been adventures in Space. What I mean is that these experiences have been particularly adventuresome because of the location in which they took place.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Long backpacking trips in the big mountains, fishing in the deep blue sea, exploring the remains of ancient civilizations in the desert, packing loads of photography gear into glorious parts of Creation where it's impossible to take a bad picture - these are the adventures most of us remember for a lifetime. </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="fullpost">For me, even just the thought of such a trip is huge motivation to orient my decisions and long-term plans towards it. I absolutely LOVE high adventure.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">But for most of us the demands of everyday life make adventures in Space far too rare. So what are we adventure addicts to do?</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Thankfully I see another dimension in which adventure can thrive. The energy's not as high. Prep time is far lower. And the trip report isn't likely to make headlines. But on the plus side - we can get our adventure fix quickly, cheaply and regularly. I'm talking about adventures in Time.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKW4VmhpAuBFl7URwG4A-8NHZ2FTfThpbLG9SBfpF8F_tcdSWpO3itjPu9iQ_T2DPT78iSONcKZVcdqyVMyefnKlEknPvnpJ1Ekm9GGoy_i1str11rGkY9WuADkNV14uWb_x3Z2IJMPE/s1600/snowadventure1Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKW4VmhpAuBFl7URwG4A-8NHZ2FTfThpbLG9SBfpF8F_tcdSWpO3itjPu9iQ_T2DPT78iSONcKZVcdqyVMyefnKlEknPvnpJ1Ekm9GGoy_i1str11rGkY9WuADkNV14uWb_x3Z2IJMPE/s320/snowadventure1Small.jpg" width="305" /></a></div>
<span class="fullpost">For instance, I have walked, jogged and hiked with heavy packs through this spot a hundred times. It's a two-minute drive from my front door. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">But the recent snowstorm changed this place. Blasting winds creating below-zero chills, eye-stinging snow and deep drifts turned our everyday trail into </span><span class="fullpost">into an adventure in Time. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">It's been great fun experiencing our humble stomping grounds suddenly turned into polar tundra. You simply haven't lived until you've braved the above conditions just to get your regular exercise!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">I admit, such a way of life does require a certain perspective. Jesus and the prophets spoke of such a perspective as having eyes that could actually see. In the context of his Kingdom announcement, that meant eyes that could see him as Messiah - eyes that could perceive the Kingdom he's bringing. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">The prospect of adventure keeps me focused on that bright and hopeful future - and that's the healthiest way I've found to live. For me, life is a collection of little adventures in Time punctuated by big adventures in Space. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">And of course it's all in preparation for the epic Adventure of Adventures awaiting those of us that are ready and looking for it. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">So my encouragement to you today is to develop eyes to see even the little, everyday adventures of life as part of a much bigger story - one that will (if you seek it!) provide </span><span class="fullpost">endless possibilities exploring a Space made new - where Time will limit us no more. </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-84813012903103762522011-02-04T10:10:00.006-07:002011-02-04T12:21:11.899-07:00Seeing NatureMy sister sent me this video adaptation of Brian Doerksen's <i>Creation Calls</i>. It makes me think about what people see, whether they live around the globe or down the hall, when they look at nature's beauty.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/LwGvfdtI2c0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Some see the mighty hand of Allah.<br />
Some see beautiful illusions that cloak the ultimate truth of Brahman or Nirvana.<br />
Some see the glorious creations of Yahweh. <br />
Some see the results of random chance.<br />
And some just shrug their shoulders and see nothing at all.<br />
<br />
I understand the many reasons why humans see nature differently, and I respect them all. Fact is, neither Muslims nor Hindus nor Buddhists nor Jews nor Christians nor Atheists nor Agnostics can prove that their beliefs are right, and all the others are not. <br />
<br />
But as for me - well, I'm with Doerksen...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8642146504035231631.post-7394467378823176782011-01-27T21:39:00.011-07:002011-01-27T22:27:01.050-07:00Destruction, Duplication or Transformation?<span class="fullpost">Every time I teach on our promised future in the Kingdom of God I'm asked some variation of the following question: </span><br />
<blockquote><span class="fullpost">"Mike, you teach that the Bible says our most noble works and creations will, in some form, make it through the final judgment and find some expression in the everlasting kingdom to come. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">But how can that be? Even our best work is not perfect. So why would God allow something that isn't perfect into his perfect Kingdom?"</span></blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HoNQqFvsUFA9CE4RAV5ttF5K1x9cW88l5czVXuXdLnupdrcHE-MLTjV2nosqqPmVTvaLk4H_oWbshuz1vH0pnECiaJYdI5IHmNDU6MCO7xxjN45ZhUVf2vkGBwRTWsWCfumePwE4s9U/s1600/bfly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6HoNQqFvsUFA9CE4RAV5ttF5K1x9cW88l5czVXuXdLnupdrcHE-MLTjV2nosqqPmVTvaLk4H_oWbshuz1vH0pnECiaJYdI5IHmNDU6MCO7xxjN45ZhUVf2vkGBwRTWsWCfumePwE4s9U/s320/bfly.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="fullpost">Along with the Messianic expectations from the Old Testament, my scriptural focal point for that teaching is I Corinthians 3, where Paul compares our work to gold, silver and precious stones as opposed to wood, hay or straw. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">He says that the quality of our works will be made evident by the application of fire </span><span class="fullpost">on the coming day of judgment</span><span class="fullpost">. He says that whatever remains after that "fire test" will garner us a reward.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">If our work is shoddy, it'll burn up. But notice that our work, if it's built right, can <b><i>remain</i></b>.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">The innocent question above comes from a correct understanding that only perfect things can be in the kingdom to come. But if that's all there is to it - I must ask, "What about us? We expect to somehow gain access to the New Jerusalem, don't we?" And of course we're not perfect (at least not yet!).</span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="fullpost">Truth is, Paul's not talking about us being merely duplicated, or brought into the Kingdom without being changed. No, the key to understanding our future and the future of our life's work in the Judeo-Christian story is the word<b> <i>transformation</i></b>. When Paul so often speaks of us being transformed - he's literally talking about metamorphosis. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Yes, metamorphosis - that unbelievable phenomenon where the caterpillar becomes the butterfly. Unfortunately there's no space here to detail the huge volume of metamorphosis language in the New Testament. It's everywhere!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">In short:</span><br />
<ul><li>our minds are even now being transformed from the weak and the temporal, with the result that they'll be fully transformed on that great day (for one example see II Corinthians 3:18 and context)</li>
<li>our fragile bodies will be transformed into <i>soma pneumatikon</i> - physical bodies both energized by and submitted to the Spirit of God (see I Corinthians 15:44 and context)</li>
<li>our planet will be transformed from the beautiful yet tragically polluted and war-torn Earth we now know to a "New Earth" free from the effects of sinful mankind (see Revelation 21 and 22)</li>
</ul><span class="fullpost">And finally, I believe our life's work will be transformed from well-meaning yet ultimately-flawed attempts at justice, peace and progress into glorious, eternal, soul-satisfying vocations - where we reign forever underneath the wise rule of Messiah himself. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">You can see this in Messiah's words to Pergamum and Thyatira in Revelation 2, </span><span class="fullpost">along with I Corinthians 3</span><span class="fullpost">.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">You know, fire affects precious stones hardly at all. Intense heat changes the shape of gold and silver, but it does not destroy them. But everyone, of course, knows what happens to wood, hay and straw when the flame comes near.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="fullpost">Yes, transformation's what it's all about. Get the picture? </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7