Plastic Faith

Last Saturday I had the “opportunity” to eat at Cracker Barrel. I’m sorry, but I’m just not that into breakfast foods, nor am I that into “country cookin.’” Oh now … come on folks … I need all the help I can get in maintaining a steady but safe decline in my weight. “Country cookin’” does not exactly help.

However, I very much appreciate the chance to file through their “country store.” It certainly has the effect of helping to long for days I have never seen before: the days of authentic rural Americana. On this particular day I even had the opportunity to chat with a fellow for “quite some time,” sitting in rocking chairs on a lazy afternoon. Yes, we solved the world’s problems, but, as always with front porch conversations of this nature, the world wasn’t listening.

Oh well, no matter, I was listening … both to my friend and to the moment. What is so valuable that we rush, rush, rush through life, passing up opportunities like the one at hand, only to find that there’s one more order to fill, one more paper to write, one more problem to solve … alone?

And yet, as I wondered through the country store, I was amazed at all the plastic things for sale. Is plastic really dainty morsel of yesteryear? While I certainly have nothing against plastic per se (the computer I’m typing this on is plastic), often times plastic is merely a cheap time-saver. And in this store, dedicated to whetting the appetite for the best of rural Americana, can cheap time-savers (from rural China, no doubt) really replicate the iron-n-steel wielded by backbones of the same material that actually plowed the lifestyles of yesteryear?

Plastic. Cheap time-savers. With the time saved on the cheap I am now able to rush, rush, rush to fill one more order, write one more paper, and solve one more problem (all alone); so that I can now pay down the balance on my plastic, which I used to buy more plastic things: more cheap time-savers, more imitations of the real-steel of yesteryear.

Unlike my coffee, which doesn’t care if it lives in a plastic cup, made in China that reads, “Proud to be an American,” my soul does care if cheap imitations are used to “save time” in his cultivation. I may think it a mark of ingenuity to rightly divide the word of time into “quality” and “quantity,” but my kids’ self-images will reflect this plastic care. I may think it efficient to simply remove the “problem” person (or people) from my life to promote peace, but when conflict arises in the next relationship there will be no superglue powerful enough to fix my broken, plastic heart. In reality there is no proverbial factory in China that can produce any metaphorical plastic capable of functioning in the Temple of God, which is the “oneness” of the Spirit-redeemed/redeeming relationships among the people of God. He does not build his Temple on the cheap, nor does he expect us to use cheap, time-savers in producing authentic worship. Consider the following real-steel of Paul:

If, then you have been raise with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of god is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do no lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And by thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:1-17; ESV).

Bargains are great for basic material things in our lives. When it comes to the heart of Christianity, which are right, redeemed relationships (with God and neighbor), remember that if it is a steal, then it is most likely not the real-steel of Paul. The real-steel of Paul produces pain and anxiety in us and requires sweaty-hard work from us, as the Spirit refashions us into the image of God, described in the passage above. Plastic faith will melt and disintegrate in the blacksmith station of the Holy Spirit, known as the Church.

A “New” Beginning

Some phrases in our common usage are tossed about like worn underwear. You realize you’re handling it, but you don’t especially pay that much attention to the details. A “new” beginning is such a phrase. By definition each beginning is new. And yet, we don’t seem to mind the redundancy. We’re hoping to emphasize that “this” beginning is newer than most in that it will exact more cleansing power for yesterday’s dirty underwear.

In Christianity each day is a beginning, but Easter Sunday was a “new” beginning. Paul tells us that the Resurrection mean more than Jesus will take us to Heaven one day. He tells us the Resurrection is the tangible hope for the Holy Spirit’s very tangible work in our nasty, underweared lives:

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you(Romans 8:11; ESV).

Yes, we can be forgiven of the boo-boos we committed, but Paul is emphasizing something far more potent than taking Ex-Lax with a trucker’s 64oz size “cup” of apple juice. Paul is saying we can be physically empowered to live for Jesus and his way, by being transformed internally. We can literally have victory over Sin … not just death. That is some kind of “new” beginning.

If that were all, simply being able to stop sinning and being made more like Jesus, then we would have eternal reasons for rejoicing. However, Paul’s thought continues through the chapter to this remarkable verse that we often attempt to make stand alone:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose(Romans 8:28; ESV).

Not only am I promised victory over sin in this “new” beginning, known as the Resurrection, I am also promised that the Holy Spirit will take the muck and grime of yesterday’s underwear and use it for fertilizer for tomorrow’s fruitful life for God. The recent movie “Up” carries a similar theme.

Up

Carl and Ellie Fredricksen, an unlikely couple, are Elementary School sweethearts who fall in love over one vision: Charlz Muntz, the disgraced explorer/adventurer. They eventually marry and begin to save up for their ultimate vacation: moving their house to the pinnacle of Paradise Falls, the former haunt of Charlz Muntz. But life happens and their Paradise Falls savings is spent on one rotten apple after another. However, their life together becomes over the years an Eden of what could be. Eventually Ellie dies, leaving Carl cold, lonely, and depressed in exile from Eden to live in what could have been. Now in the midst of a hungry city jungle that is threatening to devour his last vestiges of their Eden, Carl is forced to the sunset of their dreams together in Shady Oaks retirement home.

In one last fit of desperation Carl arranges the crazy scheme of turning their house into a blimp. With those tens of thousands of balloons it literally is Paradise Fall or bust … bust-pop-bust-pop. What Carl doesn’t figure into his equation is a little dreamy-eyed wilderness explorer, Russell. Russell is what Carl was, Russell is in the way of Carl finally accomplishing what he and Ellie dreamed when they were Russell’s age. Russell brings with him baggage, and, as Carl inches towards his destination, Russell’s baggage becomes heavier with the introduction of his new friend, Kevin. Russell is baggage. And Carl can’t seem to cut his baggage loose, despite his best efforts.

Carl meets up with his former hero, Charlz Muntz, and for a moment reenters Paradise Lost only to find the last vestiges of his innocence lost. Charles is desperate to trap and return to the States with the mythical bird Kevin. Charlz was disgraced long ago, because the world refused to believe his stories of birds like Kevin. Now he will stop at nothing to capture Kevin, who happens to be Russell’s only friend in the world. Whether he likes it or not, Carl has now become attached to Russell, and he is in the very awkward position of cutting himself loose from his attachment to his childhood hero to be a hero to his new child-friend.

At a very powerful moment Carl reaches for Ellie’s exploration scrap book. As a kid Ellie had put paraphernalia in there regarding her dreams of adventure. She leaves a huge section open: “Adventures I’ll have next.” Carl’s dream, as Ellie’s friend, sweetheart, and husband has always been to make sure Ellie could fill those pages; the ultimate adventure being their trip to Paradise Falls. On her deathbed Ellie hands her scrapbook to Carl, who sets it on the proverbial shelf. After all their entire life, in his eyes, has been a perpetual shelving event. As Carl flips through the scrapbook he accidentally opens the “Adventures I’ll have next” section to find that Ellie had filled those pages with photos and such of their life together.

Carl’s life is about to flounder and die with the loss of his hero’s standing in his eyes. He truly has nothing anymore. His hero is a villan in his life. His house is nothing. Ellie is long dead. Yet, Carl is reborn through Ellie’s scrapbook. He now realizes that the ultimate adventure he was waiting for was his life with Ellie. He now realizes that he is just about to cut another real adventure off from his life in finally getting rid of Russell and Kevin.

So Carl embarks on an adventure to save Russell and Kevin. After adrenaline-rushing moments Russell and Kevin trap Charlz in the house that is now attached to Charlz’s blimp. Russel and Kevin jump to the blimp, and Carl cuts the house loose. The house, Charlz, and Carl’s old dreams plummet to their death at the bottom of Paradise Falls. Carl’s new adventure takes flight, goes “Up,” with Russell, as Russell’s dad-figure.

Power and Intricacy in Sin and Salvation

The following is a poem I’ve been working on since last Christmas. I believe it captures in a unique way the beauty of Salvation in the Wesleyan tradition. While going to heaven is certainly an important part of Salvation, Scripture promises that we can experience the life Jesus offers in the here and now. I hope to help communicate this message of victory over Sin in the here and now and the promise of real experiential relationship with God-Father, Son, & Spirit … as well as real healing in our relationships in the here and now … healing that comes from being remade into the image of God-Father, Son, Spirit and experiencing victory over Sin. My goal is more of these communicating the beauty of Salvation in the Wesleyan tradition with an eye towards seeing them published in one volume. I’d love your feedback.

Power and Intricacy

A single snowflake,
Falling ever so gracefully to its metallic death.
Heat in its warmth’s wake,
Melts the familiar cold in isolation with stealth.

Holy God, eternal Community,
Father, Son, Spirit perfect in love and power.
In his image made humanity,
Sacred Bond, you breathed into fleshy flower.

Exalted flesh grasped for God’s wise glory.
Lowly he became when, greatness, did he find,
In Sin’s expansive power in gory,
Violence birthed from man’s heart, soul, and mind.

Eternal Word of the Father, our Creator,
Birthed from the Woman’s seed,
As grass for God’s own incinerator,
The Father’s glory, his creed.

The Holy became Sin, and from his Father was rent.
Broken Holy Community.
For our redemption, holy, his life was violently spent.
Wholeness wrought in entir’ty.

Warmth deceptive need no longer the snowflake melt,
Alienation no more,
To Sin and his power a violent blow has been dealt.
Love will reign forever more.

There is perhaps some imagery that will be foreign to some of you. If some of the meaning is elusive, please feel free to ask questions. One interpretive key can be found by reading Isaiah 40:6-8; James 1; and I Peter 1. Another interpretive key can be found by reading II Corinthians 5.

I hope to see this and many more published in one volume. What I envision in this volume is a section that contains the poems, themselves, then in another section I’d like to reprint them with commentary. Thank you for your support.

Why Sola Scriptura Can’t Mean Scripture Only

Marin Luther, in advocating against the abuses of spiritual authority of the Roman Catholic Church, laid down the classic Evangelical & Protestant litmus test for truth … sola scriptura. Sola Scriptura is Latin for Scripture alone … and refers to Scripture as the final authority for believers. For many well-meaning believers Scripture has become their only authority … which at first seems noble.

Yet, how many of us can completely divorce ourselves from our personal biases … from our own preconcevied notions, our own relational baggage, our own family dysfunctions, our own religious and secular fields of training? While it is certainly possible and even expected that we approach a topic on its own terms, it is quite unlikely that we approach anything … the Bible included … without the shadows of our own experiences and training haunting us as we read. None of us is perfect … with perfect minds.

In principle on paper, sola scriptura makes sense, as a safe guard against the abuse of authority. Most of us good evangelicals live the spirit of sola scriptura, while recognizing other tried and true authorities to help guide us along the way to Jesus. The Anglican tradition has long recognized reason and tradition as the handmaidens to Scripture in the court of Christian faith and life. In addition to Scripture, reason, and tradition, John Wesley included experience. In this arrangement of Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience, Scripture always takes the throne … while conversing heavily with her loyal handmaidens.

Yet, we have kidnapped Scriptures’ handmaidens, raped them and dumped their bodies into the River Individualism. What we don’t realize is that their ghosts often haunt us, as we can never read Scripture without using our brains (reason), nor thinking of what we have been taught or thinking of what new precedents to set (tradition), nor without considering how the message of Jesus gels with our experience.

I have two examples … both from people who seem to attempt to follow Scripture only.

Number One

I was speaking with a man, who passionately loved Jesus and his church. Yet my love for much of Contemporary Christian music and worship set him rather nauseous. His distaste for the Contemporary scene rocked on the principle that you don’t use the ways of the world to reach people in the world for Jesus. So not only lyrics had become taboo, but also the various beats themselves.

I asked him if he liked Southern Gospel music. He LOVED Southern Gospel. I asked him if he had ever been to a Country music councert. He had and experienced a rather knee-slapping time. Slowly, he began to get my point. County & Western music and Southern Gospel are very close kissing cousins.

Was it Scripture alone and only that led him to choose the worldly sound of largely white southerners by which to worship? Was it Scripture alone that led him to reject the wide variety of worldly sounds which make up the Contemporary scene? I’ll let you use your reason to evaluate his experience.

Number Two

My second example comes from a pastor and a church who are no doubt Bible-loving and Bible-believing Christians. The pastor submitted an article for the Faith section of a local newspaper, entitled “Cain is not in Adam’s bloodline” (sic). http://www.hartsvillenewsjournal.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=2821&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&S=1

According to the article, contrary to what you have been taught, it was not Adam that impregnated Eve, resulting in the birth of Cain. It was Satan himself. Contrary to what you have been taught, it was not only Noah’s people that made it through the flood. Somehow these devilish descendants of Cain also made it through. Contrary to what you have been taught, it was not a group of Jews, who Jesus chided as opposing God, but … you guessed it … Cain’s devil children … attempting to pose as Jewish people. After all Jesus told them they were listening to their father, the devil (John 8). We are advised to beware of these very real people/devils that certainly exist today and to avoid them at all costs … at least until Jesus comes to destroy them in battle.

Is this no doubt, sincere, well-meaning pastor attempting to follow the principle of sola scriptura? His group’s mission statement underscores that they are a “non-profit church that is not affiliated with any denomination, and this allows the freedom to seek the truth of God’s Word. God’s Word is the common sense that provides the foundation for truth. Understanding the Bible to be a personal letter from God, we will strive to teach you to read His letter with clarity and understanding.” http://www.lakeshorebible.com/missionstatement.htm 

Again, I have no doubt that these people are truly loving and great people. I have no doubt that this pastor is a true man of God, who earnestly desires God’s truth. Unfortunately his very public display of interprative dehydration only serves to emphasize the mirage of Scripture only. He makes at least three boo boos in his interpretation:

1. He failed to demonstrate that Scripture actually teaches that it was Satan instead of Adam who fathered Cain. This blunder alone sinks his whole argument.
2. The Scriptural witness is that the life in Noah’s ark … and that life only … made it through the flood to populate the earth (sea creatures notwithstanding). Similarly the witness is that only Noah’s people were on his cruise ship.
3. He claims the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares demonstrates his point, as it says that the tares represent the people who were sown by the seed of Satan. I don’t know if he’s ready for the necessary corollary or not. If the tares are the love-children of Satan’s sperm, then what are we to make of “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man?”

Yes, let’s read Scripture, let’s devour Scripture, let’s follow Scripture. Yet, let’s not attempt to read Scripture only … as our only authority … and certainly not by ourselves … alone. We need the Holy Spirit, living in his temple, the Church.

Maintaining Boundaries and Self Respect As Love for Others

Typically when we think of loving others in mature ways, selflessness comes to mind. Is it possible, though, that some acts of “love” that appear self-sacrificing may actually be damaging to our loved ones … and may actually be self-gratifying?

You may need a minute to re-read the above statement.

Now that you’ve re-read the above statement think of all you do for others. Surely self-sacrifice for the betterment of others is at the heart of Christian, cross-centered love. But what if our supposed self-sacrifice is really propping up damaging behavior in the objects of our love? I’m thinking of continuing to put up with addictions in our loved ones. Continuing to nurture, protect, and provide for them seems the only natural thing to do out of love for them. Other behaviors, besides addictions, come to mind, such as allowing physical and emotional abuse.

Yet, continuing to allow these behaviors unchecked is not self-sacrificing for them. It is propping up bad behavior. Often times this is done not out of good will, but out of a sense of emotional neediness and a weak heart.

Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (12:18; ESV). In the case of misguided love and emotional-neediness, these unfortunate souls have gone far past the boundaries of “so far as it depends on you.” They are attempting to carry the responsibilities of others. While this might seem loving, it is a well worn experiment in atrophy. If you don’t use it, you lose it. In this case if people don’t grow in responsibility, they increasingly lose not only the desire but also the ability to be personally responsible.

Drawing personal boundaries and practicing self-respect is actually fertilizer for strong love for others. For an excellent discussion in this all-important area, please consult James Dobson’s classic, Love Must Be Tough.

A New Kind of Christian?

Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian (http://www.amazon.com/New-Kind-Christian-Friends-Spiritual/dp/078795599X) and sort-of-theological-father to the postmodern, Emergent movement, has declared his support for Barack Obama. (http://www.matthew25.org/mclaren.htm)

I discovered this thanks to Matt Dabbs’s blog, Kingdom Living. (http://mattdabbs.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/brian-mclaren-endorses-barak-obama/)

McLaren declared his support for Obama on the site, Matthew 25 Network. The Matthew 25 Network mission statement is below:

“The Matthew 25 Network is a community of Christians – Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, and Evangelical – inspired by the Gospel mandate to put our faith into action to care for our neighbor, especially the most vulnerable.

“The election of our public officials, and the politics they stand for, are a reflection of our core values. We believe that those elected to public office carry an important trust, as their decisions have a profound impact on our nation and our world.

“We believe that people of faith should actively participate in the political process as an important avenue for social change. We are called by our faith to engage in the world as it is, while we seek after and hope for God’s Kingdom.

“Therefore, while no elected official will be without flaw, we come together as individuals to support candidates for public office who share the values of the Matthew 25 Network: promoting life with dignity, caring for the least of these, strengthening and supporting families, stewardship of God’s Creation, working for peace and justice at home and abroad, and promoting the common good.”

http://www.matthew25.org/about.htm

This is a completely wonderful mission statement that I could whole-heartedly support. However, I am puzzled. Obama would allow his daughters to murder “the most vulnerable” of the “least of these,” simply because he doesn’t want them “punished” with a baby. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNbaig-D5pk.

Sure, they … and McLaren, admit that no candidate is perfect. Yet, I am puzzled by McLaren, who crusades passionately against passionate orthodox belief … while passionately crusading for many types of social activism like Matthew 25:31-46 as to be unquestioned whatsoever … while supporting a candidate who would encourage his daughter to commit the most egregious offense against this Matthew passage.

Yet, should I be that surprised by any products of proud postmodern “thought?”

My Daily Meditations

No, this is not a post about my morning “paperwork.” Those of you who thought that (Dan) are sick, sick, sick. But for those of you are thinking more spiritually, you might recall my previous post regarding Christian meditation and Psalm 1. Here are my promised daily thinking-verbal-rehearsings (meditations).

Matthew 16:24-26:

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?(ESV).

Following this recitation, I pray something along the lines of, “Jesus, you are king and God, and I am not. It is your will and way that I want; not mine.” If I’m involved in a stressful decision or a spat or a touchy conversation at any part of my day, I simply recall this passage, recite it, and pray for Jesus’s way in the situation regarding my actions and reactions.

Romans 12:9-21:

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says  the Lord.” To the contrary, “if you enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (ESV).

Following this recitation, I pray something along the lines, “Lord, Jesus, it is your way that I want and not my own. No matter where I go, what I do, please help me to seek to give to, love, bless, and understand before I’m given to, loved, blessed, and understood. And anoint me to be a vessel of your blessing, no matter where I go or what I do, in such a way that it impacts their physical reality for their good and connects them with you.”

Finally I recite a portion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and pray accordingly.

At night I recite Ephesians 4:17-5:2 (though I’m not as faithful to follow through on this one as I am the morning recitations).

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!–assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a gragrant offering and sacrifice to God (ESV).

Following this recitation, if there are any people or any one person that I’m extremely frustrated with, I pray something along the lines of, “Dear Jesus, it is your way I want in my dealings with them, and not my own.” I usually confess my anger or frustration, not because they are necessarily sin, but to keep them from morphing into sin.

Like daily insulin shots or blood pressure medication, this is my daily mental and emotional medication. Notice that I did not say my daily spiritual medication. For me, that is simply redundant … and I do not separate the spiritual from my mental, emotional, or physical life. It is all one.

Meditation Is My Delight

Recently, both of my churches studied Psalm 1 (with an eye to studying Psalms 1 & 2 together). At any rate a major stream of thought is fed from the spring of verse 2 “but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night” (ESV).

Please don’t make the common evangelical mistake in regarding “law of the LORD” in the same light as the U.S. legal system.

NOT THE SAME.

Certainly there are dos and don’ts within the law of the LORD. However, it is so much more than that, which is why David can sing, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul” (Psalm 19:7; ESV). No, think of the law of the LORD as God’s teaching/instruction/way/direction. Think of the law of the LORD as God’s self-revelation.

“On his law he meditates day and night.” In meditating, I’m NOT thinking of what men do in the bathroom “to take care of paper work,” nor I am thinking of sitting in strange positions and mindlessly humming, “OMMMM.” Rather the best way to speak of meditating … is well … speaking … thinking-speaking. It is verbally rehearsing something. Do you remember the last time someone really made you mad? Do you remember the conversation you had with yourself in the privacy of your car or shower? Normally that is called ruminating. I call it meditating. What about the phone conversations discussing in detail the dirt of the person who made you mad? Normally that is called gossip. I call it meditating … corporate meditation.

Meditating on the law of the LORD is the mentally-engaged, verbal rehearsing of the teaching of God, as found in his written Word … privately and corporately.

Now the cool thing about all this is that when we meditate, when we actively … with mental engagement, verbally rehearse the teaching of God as found in his word … we are met by the Holy Spirit. In much the same way as the Holy Spirit can meet us in Holy Communion for transformation, the Holy Spirit can meet us in meditation. The Holy Spirit can take the teaching of God, with which we are brain-washing ourselves, and wash our souls.

By the way … we all get brain-washed. The real question is who do we allow to do the washing and with what. In my next post I’ll share what my regular daily meditations actually are. Thanks for reading. Thanks for meditating.

Another Memorable Quote

“The righteous person is the one whose “fear” (or reverence) of God affects his daily living; he avoids evil and learns how to live from God’s Torah, and therein lies his wisdom”

–Peter C. Craigie, Commentary on Psalm 1 in Volume One of Word Biblical Commentary (Psalms 1-50).

Sunday’s Sermon Outline

The following is the outline for the sermon I’ll preach at both of my churches. You should be able to find the written sermon posted later this week in the link, “My Sermons.” 

Under Construction

 

Part VI–“Our Share of the Load or MY Share of MY Entitlement?”

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (I Timothy 6:10).

 

Adam & Eve

What created desire in Adam and Eve to partake of the forbidden?

Genesis 3:1-7

 

The Rich Young Ruler

What created desire in this man to deny Jesus’s offer, especially when he first desired eternal life? (Notice how the man words his question.)

Luke 18:18-25

 

Question:      Are we that different?

What is the believer’s entitlement?

           

Romans 12:1-21

            Ephesians 4:1-16

            James 1

 

One More Question:

 

Why do you suppose that the Ten Commandments begin and end with the two particular commandments in which they do?