Author: Frank

Grass of the Field

Frank

A couple of weeks ago I transplanted a tree. In my head the chore seemed simple enough- dig up the tree, dig another hole (3 times the size of the root-base of the tree), drop the tree, add potting soil/fertilizer mix, top off with the dug up grass, wipe the sweat from my brow, call it a day. It didn’t exactly work out like that.

I don’t have a green thumb. I’m 3.5 for 7 successful in planting trees at my house. The half is for the tree I transplanted. I’m not ready to call it a success, but it’s not yet a failure. It wasn’t dying. But it wasn’t growing either. Where I live, the ground is mostly clay, so it takes some work to get things to grow. This tree’s roots couldn’t spread and it wasn’t getting enough water. Fill in your favorite agriculture reference from your Bible:

He (the one who delights in the law of the Lord) is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. (Psalm 1:3)

Some fell on rocky places (or clay), where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. (Mark 4:5-6)

Since this tree didn’t have much root, digging it up was the easy part. The trouble came digging the new hole. I knew it would have to be big, and that I’d have to fill it in with better soil than was there to begin with. What I didn’t expect was how hard it would be to dig up the grass.

Grass gets a bad rap in the Bible. It quickly withers (Psalm 37:2, Ps 90:5-6, Ps 102:4 & 11, Ps 103:15-16, Ps 129:6, Isaiah 5:24, Is 15:6, Is 37:27, Is 40:6-8, Jeremiah 12:4, 1 Peter 1:24), is compared to the wicked (most of the same refs as before plus Psalm 92:7), and is thrown in the fire (Matthew 6:30, Luke 12:28, Revelation 8:7).

Yet it is the go-to popular ground-covering for our homes. Why? Because they’re weeds. They don’t require a ton of water, their roots entangle which preserves the soil from eroding or blowing away, and it is easy to plant.

It’s the entangling roots that got me thinking. The hardest part was digging through this dense network of roots. The top layer of grass was a single piece. I couldn’t just dig with my shovel and toss aside whatever came up with it. I had to literally cut out pieces of grass of manageable enough size to lift, and then dig my hole. Ok maybe that’s obvious to the rest of you, but it wasn’t to me.

Back to that network of roots. Isn’t that how God wants us to be? Sure, we get the illustration of the tree planted by water. But I live in a desert and when I see trees like that, they are usually standing alone. But grass is plentiful. It spreads. And each blade depends on the others. Alone they are frail, but a five-foot across circle is strong (and heavy!).

You will know that your children will be many, and your descendants like the grass of the earth. (Job 5:25)

Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field. (Psalm 72:16)

When you see this, your heart will rejoice
and you will flourish like grass (Isaiah 66:14)

Your Heaven

Frank

I woke up the other morning with this song in my head for some reason. It’s Five Finger Death Punch’s “Far From Home”. The video below, with over three million hits, is a tribute to America’s Armed Forces. The video is moving, but I wonder about the lyrics.

The chorus goes: “It’s almost like, your heaven’s trying everything to keep me out” Keep me out alternates with “break me down.”

Doesn’t sound like any heaven I know. What is misunderstood in the Gospel message is that heaven is exclusionary- keeping certain people with certain beliefs or certain lifestyles out. Yet the truth of the Gospel is that heaven has come down to earth for every one of us. Jesus, the Son of God present at the creation of the world, walked on this earth in the flesh experiencing all the same struggles as you or I only to be gruesomely killed to atone for our sins. Heaven isn’t keeping anyone out because heaven came down to us.

It’s almost like, my heaven’s trying everything to get me in.

Do You Agree with Rachel?

Frank

(A rare Saturday post to participate in the Rally to Restore Unity being hosted by Rachel Held Evans, author of Evolving in Monkey Town. When I first heard about this from other bloggers I follow, I thought “hey, that’s cool” but didn’t go check it out. I finally did take a look yesterday, and wow! There’s a lot to digest there, but it’s all worth reading. I don’t agree with everyone, but that’s kidna the point. On with the show…)

When I was converted in a campus ministry I left behind the traditional, religious experience of most of my life. It was hard. Harder, was knowing that there were good friends of mine who I knew sincerely loved God and Jesus but, in my new found convictions, were way off-base. I felt like Paul lamenting over his people:

“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.” (Romans 9:2-5)

Then I read Jesus prayer in John 17 and this became my new prayer: “God, I pray for all who believe in you through your Son, that we may all be one just as You and He are one, so that the whole world may believe.” (v 20-23) Well God answers prayers in funny ways.

Not long after I started praying this prayer I started to see fliers around campus reading “Do you agree with Rachel?”. The next day, the same question written in sidewalk chalk. And this continued for week or so before the signs were updated with a date, the next Saturday. The next phase of this viral campaign (before there even was such a thing!) was t-shirts that others started wearing around campus. But the message again changed. On the front the t-shirt read “Do you agree with Rachel?” and on the back it read “Rachel believes in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died for your sins and rose again three days later.” No denominations. No direct tie to any campus ministry (though one of the more prominent ones was behind it). Unity under one message: the Gospel of Jesus.

At the time there was a lot of competition between different campus ministries for numbers and reputation. One group would tell incoming freshmen not to go to another group. The larger groups would intentionally schedule devos and events on top of smaller groups to take away their membership. And gossip, lots of gossip (you wouldn’t believe what what’s her name got away with in that group!). Rachel simply wanted it to stop.

I met Rachel before anyone knew who she was, or what we were even agreeing with. My small group co-leader and I had a nice conversation with her one day at the food court. Here was a girl that I could tell struggled under the weight of Jesus’ prayer in  John 17. Who loved Jesus so much she was willing to risk her reputation for him. Who was grateful to meet other believers who felt the same way she did. Of course I didn’t know she was behind the campaign. It never even occurred to me to put two and two together (her name was Rachel, duh!). But I walked away from that conversation thinking, “there’s someone who gets it” while at the same time hoping she’d come and check out my campus ministry because it was obviously better than all the others.

Of course when word got out who Rachel was and what her message was going to be there was significant backlash on this liberal campus. Jesus was mocked. Teachers who wore her shirt were suspended (separation of Church and State and all that), and she was openly persecuted.

When I found out who Rachel was I smiled and thanked God for answering my prayer. Then I skipped her rally because my church had something else going on that was more important.

Maybe I didn’t agree with her after all.

Flashback Friday: Call Your Mother!

Frank

***Originally posted right before Mothers’ Day 2009. I think I’ve called my mom at least once since then. 🙂 ***

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. -John 19:25-27

Even in Jesus’ most trying time, he remembered to take care of his mother. Even after being arrested, humiliated, beaten, and crucified his mother stood by him to the end. Thank God for moms.

Happy Mother’s Day

Legalism versus Obedience

Frank

As my small group concludes Crazy Love, I’m struck by the opposition this book gets. The most common theme I’ve seen is that it swings too far from the “Prosperity Gospel” towards a “Poverty Gospel” (watch the interview of Francis Chan by Mark Driscoll and Joshua Harris to see this debate in action) and for some this translates into a “salvation by works” doctrine.

Of course that ruffles the feathers of many. “Saved by grace through faith alone” I believe is a security blanket held on to so tightly than anything approaching a “hedge” such as raising standards or expectations is avoided out of fear of legalism. But what is legalism anyway? Is it works? Why does Hebrews say we should encourage one another? (Good deeds) What are we saved for? (The works God has prepared for us) What is faith if absent of works? (dead as a doornail) So the fruits of the Spirit, evidenced by works isn’t legalism, it isn’t a poverty gospel, it isn’t preaching sanctification through personal sacrifice. At the same time, we’re reminded that such acts if unaccompanied by love are worthless.

In this book, and in his life to be perfectly honest (and I think this is why his views upset the status quo), Francis Chan simply puts his money where his faith is. And he’s not alone. Nor is he alone receiving such criticism.

David Platt just released the anticipated sequel to his bestseller, Radical, called Radical Together. I like the approach- the first book challenges what you are doing on faith personally, and he follows up with mobilizing churches to do the same. But he has to devote an entire chapter (short as it is) to deflect the criticism he received in the first installment.

And the criticism is coming from surprising corners of evangelical celebrity. Jared Wilson, author of Your Jesus is Too Safe (doesn’t that sound legalistic?), raises the above issues and cites similar concerns from Skye Jethani, author of The Divine Commodity and Chaplain Mike at Internet Monk. Now I’m not familiar with all of their writings, and I don’t know them personally, but just based on their public persona and the titles of their books/blogs, you’d think they’d be lockstep behind Chan and Platt. Like I said before comparing Crazy Love to Mere Churchianity, we all see the same problem and are moved to do something about it.

This debate exposes the tension between Justification as taught by Paul, and the Kingdom as taught by Jesus. For more on this, check out this article in Christianity Today. The conclusion is not to start with either Justification or Kingdom, but rather the Gospel of Jesus himself. I couldn’t agree more. After all, Paul instructed us to “follow [his] example as [he] follows the example of Christ” and that our “attitudes should be the same as Christ Jesus”, that Christ is the “chief cornerstone” on which we build our own personal convictions, and to “live as Christ and to die is gain”. (1 Corinthians 1:11, Philippians 2:5, Ephesians 2:19-22, Philippians 1:21)

So now the question becomes, is expecting a Christian (recall the definition has nothing to do with belief, but rather imitation) to live a Christ-like life legalistic? Through the lens of “saved by grace” it would appear so:

  • In the parable of the four soils, three seeds sprout yet only one is saved. How can we tell the difference? By the one baring fruit.
  • In the parable of the talents (or bags of gold in the new NIV, blech) the only servant condemned is the one who does nothing. Even the one who does a little is rewarded. Also the reward is proportional to the service.
  • At the same time, in the parable of the workers in the vineyard, all are rewarded the same regardless of how much work is done. Yet there is still a connection between work and reward.
  • In the parable of the sheep and goats, Jesus couldn’t make it clearer when he delineates “that which you do for the least of these…” (In fact one of the Crazy Love study guides I found online tried to explain away this passage as only applying to service towards believers at the tribulation)
  • And I want to remind us of the rich young ruler. He was holding on to something that would keep him from entering into the Kingdom. We all have something we’re holding on to. It doesn’t necessarily have to be money or possessions. Yet just like the wealthy, it is impossible to give it up. “But with God, all things are possible”

Going back to the definition of love from 1 Corinthians 13, legalism versus justification or works versus grace can be resolved simply by establishing the motivation. Obeying Jesus out of fear, guilt, obligation, pressure or people-pleasing is legalism. But obeying Jesus out of love is not.

Love. I think that shows up in Chan’s book somewhere.

Are We Spoiled?

Frank

Today marks the 400th anniversary of the King James translation of the Bible and boy have we come a long way. From YouVerision’s site:

In the 14–16th centuries, a controversial question had been dividing nations: should the common man be able to read God’s Word? It was so incendiary that some people were killed for their translation efforts.

The KJV was not the first translation of God’s Word into English, but it has been one of the most influential in making Scripture widely available to everyday people in their own language.

The KJV is revolutionary in its reach. It has endured as one of the most widely read books in human history.

Written during the era of Shakespeare, the KJV is praised for its beauty and poetry. Many phrases we use today originated in the KJV, like the salt of the earth, a drop in the bucket, eye to eye, and labour of love.

Are we spoiled today? I went to the local Christian bookstore the other day to look for a new Bible for my wife. She wanted a replacement for her favorite, of which its cover has come off, pages have fallen out, and is a general pain to carry around. She wanted something the same size and didn’t want one with helps or devotions. Sounds easy, right? But I walk in and see an entire wall filled with Bibles of every kind and color. Different translations, different devotionals, different helps; each marketed to a different segment. There are Bibles for firefighters, Bibles for pre-teen girls, Bibles for retirees, and I could go on and on. Of course I’m a sucker- I own at least a half-dozen Bibles with different emphasis to aid in my Bible study, but what about a good, plain old Bible? I couldn’t find one. Well I could, but it was only the extra thick, black bound, meant to put on a bookshelf and never opened version. There were ones like she was looking for, but then they had to gussy up the covers: flowers, camouflage, purple…

And don’t even get me started on translations!

I guess I find it funny that a few hundred years ago you could have been killed for having a contemporary translation of the Bible. In some parts of the world today you could still be killed for having a Bible, no matter the translation, publisher, or color of leather binding. Some friends of my sister can’t even name the country they’re in translating for Wycliffe. Yet in America today we have more Bibles than we know what to do with. In fact, we have so many we find ourselves debating semantics and political correctness rather than focusing on its message.

Fact is, few of us are risking our lives by owning a Bible. It is hardly the radical document that it is meant to be. Many own one but never open it. Many (like me) own more than one just because we can. We’ve come a long way.

I love the movie The Book of Eli simply because of its theme: what lengths would you go to to preserve the last known Bible? And I’ll be honest, I was tearing up at the end. The inspired Word of God is that beautiful, that powerful.

Do you take owning a Bible for granted?

For the Word of God is living and active… (Hebrews 4:12)

Flashback Friday: It’s the End of the World as We Know It

Frank

***Originally posted September 10, 2009 when the Large Hadron Collider became operational. Reposted because of news this week that the “God Particle” aka the Higgs boson may have been found. To save you from digging out your old physics textbook (surely you still have it) the Higgs boson is the subatomic particle that is theorized to give objects their mass. In layman’s terms: it’s what all the fuss in Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons was about. But maybe we shouldn’t get our hopes up quite yet. I wonder if this discovery will be confirmed before the actual end of the world which we all know is going to be May 21. (And I need to remind everyone of this scripture: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. -Matthew 24:36)***

It’s the end of the world as we know it… and I feel fine.

I’m behind my posting, but I had to get something up because today is the end of the world. What, you didn’t hear? No I didn’t get this information from someone locked away in a commune in Idaho or from a guy on a street corner holding a sign and asking for change. In fact, I don’t have any religious reason for saying this at all, rather purely scientific. You see, today scientists turned on the Large Hadron Collider, a super-collider in Europe that is intended to create subatomic particles and replicate the big bang.

So what does that have to do with the end of the world? Well some are so afraid of the science behind it that they believe small black holes will be created that could eventually swallow the Earth. They’re so afraid in fact, that they’ve tried to sue to keep it from operating. Not exactly how my Bible describes the end of the world. On the other hand, if they can create a singularity, and wormhole theories hold true, then maybe after the Earth is swallowed up our promised “new Earth” will emerge on the other side. Of course, that would require Jesus to have already come back and depending on which-millennialist doctrine you subscribe, another 1000 years or so to pass. So maybe today’s not the day. But I’ll be keeping oil in my lamp.

Any Other Sunday

Frank

Yesterday’s post by Mike Ellis reminded me of my kids’ Easter egg hunt. I was chasing our son while my wife was herding our daughter. All the while I was worried either of them would make a mess of the clothes they were wearing.

I wonder if my parents felt the same way when I was that age. Of course you have to dress up at Easter. For many kids, it is likely the only time they will have to wear a suit. Yet we’re released into the wild only to scuff our shoes, mash grass stains onto our knees, and tumble head over heels to get that last egg. I wonder how many curse words my parents might have said in their heads (or out loud!) as they watched me ruin my Easter best.
Honestly, I wrestled with the thought as I dressed my children Sunday morning. I’m not big on dressing extra spiffy for Sundays, but I do want to at least look nice. Yet Easter added that extra pressure. As I’m picking out the usual clothes a voice in my head kept saying, “but it’s Easter!” And my stubbornness would reply, “but there’s an egg hunt!” I expect many other parents shared in that same internal battle.
Why is that so? Yes, Easter is one of the “Big Two” church services that people feel compelled to attend every year, regardless of whether they are regular pew-fillers or not. But what sets it apart to make it so special? Shouldn’t we be celebrating Christ’s resurrection every day, not just an arbitrary Sunday set by the phases of the moon?

I admit, I came to church Sunday looking forward to a great show. I’m glad I didn’t get it. Not to say it wasn’t a great worship service, it was. (One of my best friends is the worship minister, please don’t take this personally!) But it wasn’t the dog-and-pony show so many churches put on for Easter. The sermon wasn’t extra “fluffy”, full of platitudes about Jesus’ love, but rather what we’d expect any Sunday- challenges on how to live like Christ and lessons to be learned from His sacrifice. The songs were nice and there were a couple of soloists to mix things up a little, but that was it. It was just like any other Sunday. And looking back (and looking at the grass stains on my son’s pants) I’m glad it was.

The Two Temptations

Frank

We’ve all been there. We’ve read a book that dramatically stirred our hearts, or heard a sermon that cut us right to the core. But then we close the book, or we walk out of church… and nothing changes. The first temptation of a moving lesson, book study, retreat, or in-depth Bible study is to nod your head, pat yourself on the back, give each other hugs and just walk away. It’s like taking a class- you learn the information, you take the test, and then you perform a data dump thinking you’ll never have to use that information again.

Information is taken in is knowledge. Knowledge applied is understanding. Understanding through repeated failure, learning anew each time, becomes wisdom. A simple study leaves us with knowledge, but the Bible calls us to wisdom:

 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
 For the LORD gives wisdom,
and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:1-6)

Yet the source of knowledge from a book is just that, a book. Paper bound and reprinted. Placed on a shelf and sold. Just like a commodity, it is only worth its price if someone is willing to purchase it. How many books sit on the shelves unsold? How much knowledge is being missed out on?

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? [Where is the best selling author?] Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (1 Corinthians 1:20)

The second temptation is to make the study, the book, or the author more than they are. A friend recently told me, while discussing this book, “we can be tempted to worship the spirituality of someone whose spirituality we admire, rather than the object of their worship.” He’s right. I didn’t want to admit it at the time, but he is absolutely right. As our group wraps up Crazy Love, it might be tempting to worship Francis Chan, or at least worship what he is doing. Of course, the content of the book should leave no doubt who the true object of our worship should be, but it is a temptation nonetheless.

So we have these two conflicting temptations: treat the study like it was nothing, or make the study more than it really was. Like in Greek philosophy, wisdom is found in the middle.

I have no doubt the first temptation is true. The book’s website boasts “New York Times Bestseller!” and “Over 1 Million Copies Sold!” but are we seeing the transformation in our churches that Francis talks about? Radical, by David Platt, is another in wave of books by young pastors raising the bar of personal discipleship. Also a bestseller. I could go on and on, and you’d think that with all the books, all the conferences, the availability of YouTube sermons, the number of Twitter followers and Facebook fans we’d see something of a transformation. Maybe not to the level of a new Great Awakening or another Reformation, but but I’d hope we’d see more than a few (in the grand scheme) of us bloggers callousing our fingertips writing about it.

At the same time, I know the second temptation is true because I am personally attracted to it. I’m tempted to have stars in my eyes and make Francis Chan into something he is not. I also know this second temptation is true because Francis, himself, sees it. In fact, he sees so much of it that he stepped down from leading the church he founded in-part because people were coming to see him and not to hear the Word of God preached.

So how do we avoid either temptation? First, we need to make sure we’re building our personal doctrine on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) As long as that is true, we can read book after book and be assured of our foundation. We can discern the words on the page using the words of Jesus. Second, we need to continue to return to the Bible as the ultimate source of our wisdom. “There is nothing new under the sun,” (Ecclesiastes 1:9) So no author can add insight that we cannot already find in Scripture. Third, and this is probably the most important, we need to do something. Both of these temptations lead to inaction. The first temptation obviously so, but the second leads to celebrity worship rather than action as you would expect.

Simple formula really. Build on Christ alone. Continue to rely on the Word. And go do something.

Flashback Friday: Reading is (still) Fundamental

Frank

***Originally posted March 2, 2010 for Read Across America Day. Reposted last October after a Pew Forum poll showed atheists and agnostics are more knowledgable about religion than most Christians. Reposting yet again because we’re heading into the weekend before Easter and it worth checking out the books at the end to help us focus on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.***

Today is National Read Across America Day. Celebrated on the birthday of Dr. Seuss, events are held all around the country to “motivate children to read.” A worthwhile event and a noble goal.

The American Christian Church needs something like this. Maybe not your priest/pastor/evangelist dressing up as the Cat In The Hat for the Sunday sermon. But something needs to be done in the Body of Christ to encourage reading and studying. Charles “Tremendous” Jones has often been quoted saying, “You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Reading was so important to the Apostle Paul that he asked Timothy to “come to [him] quickly” and bring his “scrolls, especially the parchments” while he was believed to have been in prison (2 Tim 4:9,13) While this most likely at least included Scripture, it was just as likely it included Rabbinic teachings given Paul’s education. Paul also taught that the Bible is “useful… so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Our reading shouldn’t be limited to the Bible however, though as a Body we sadly fall short in this area. The number of Christian books are limitless, some of course better than others. I encourage you to find a niche that appeals most to you- history, biographies, theology, apologetics, etc and dig in. Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide lists 166 different categories of books. If you can’t find something you like, well you’re not really trying. It is important to remember though, that books should compliment, not supplement, your Bible study. This is a lesson I have had to learn the hard way a year ago as I felt myself spiritually withering away even though I was reading about a book a month. I was convicted listening to a lesson that reminded me that spiritual books should never take the place of the Word of God. So I have recommitted myself to my Bible study and any book I read is intentionally tied to a specific Bible study.

Not only do we have Read Across America, but it is also almost exactly a month before Easter. If you observe Lenten fasts, you may have given up chocolate or Facebook. Some also add spiritual disciplines to their fasts. If you’re taking this season to dig deeper into your Bible study or read that spiritual book gathering dust on your bookshelf, amen! If not, don’t fret because there’s plenty of time. Many devotionals are written for a month’s worth of study so now is a perfect time leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus.
With that in mind, here are some recommendations keeping to the theme of Easter: Calvary Road by Roy Hession, He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado, The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey, Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler, Thirty Days at the Foot of the Cross edited by Tom and Sheila Jones, and Your Jesus is Too Safe by Jared C Wilson.
Happy reading!