Righteous Intransigence, or Yellowstone and Politics, or Yellowstone and the Church

After a long absence, I am returning to a series of musings that will include war, evil, hell, inspiration, and other fun things (maybe). For tonight, a thought from National Geographic.

The May 2016 edition of the National Geographic magazine was about Yellowstone Park. One author wrote the entire issue, covering the history of Yellowstone National Park, the pre-history (i.e., why it looks like it does), the wildlife, and the controversies--which are many. It was in the context of the controversies that the author used the phrase "righteous intransigence." Before diving into my point, here is some background on the issues at hand. Most of the issues revolve around the wildlife of Yellowstone, and particularly the large mammals that reside in (and around) the park. In fact, this last parenthetical statement is part of the problem. Almost one hundred years ago, scientists realized that, if the goal was to preserve the wild nature of the west, Yellowstone was entirely too small. Hence the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem came into being. The elk, bear, bison, and wolves travel outside the park regularly, with many making annual migrations out of the park. This brings them into contact with ranchers, cattle, sheep, hunters, and neighborhoods. Who should decide what to do with bison on the ranch? Who should decide if the grizzly bear should be removed from the endangered species list? Are we sure that bringing wolves back was a good idea? Should we be killing off lake trout just to save cutthroat trout? Should private landowners be forced to keep migration routes open for thousands of elk? Many people are very passionate about all of these issues. You can read the magazine if you are interested in the topic. I was interested in this statement, near the end of the magazine. The author argued that passionate people need to realize that "righteous intransigence is not a strategy, it is just a satisfying attitude." Amen to that!

As the 2016 presidential race winds down to the two primary candidates, I think that we can see this quote fully at work. As President Obama has said, democracy can only work if people compromise, even if they are 100% right. Many of us have lost the ability to compromise. We have made everything that we believe into a hill on which to die. We have few strategies, but we have a lot of intransigence. We believe it, so we won't compromise on it. Ted Cruz's actions in the Senate are one example of this. Whether his position was right or wrong is not the issue. The issue is that he had no strategy, only intransigence and the ability to make sure that nothing happened. Now there are hills on which to die, but if you run a government there are compromises to be made so that the nation can move forward. (Honestly, I am not sure that either of our candidates can move us forward, but I guess we shall see!)

I also fear that "righteous intransigence" is alive and well in the Christian church. I have experienced those of liberal theological traditions belittling their congregants and other leaders who are less "enlightened" than they are, when the real issue is that they read their sacred text in a different way. I also see evangelicals who are running scared of any new idea. Richard Foster tries to connect the evangelical church with long-established traditions of spiritual formation, and he is vilified for bringing non-Christian traditions into the church (without considering that the traditions he is re-introducing were in the church long before Christians and Buddhists had any conversations). Lesslie Newbigin and those after him call the church to missional living, believing that we are all called to be on mission for God. The kingdom of God is alive in us as we live incarnationally for Jesus through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. The gospel is certainly about personal salvation, but it is also about reconciling the world to God, and we have a role to play in that reconciliation. And the missional movement is accused of being too psychological or being too works-oriented. "Righteous intransigence" at work! When will we be willing to hear the "other," whoever that might be? When will we love our neighbor, even if that neighbor is a Muslim (I mean a Samaritan!)? When will be driven by faith in God, love of neighbor, care for widows, orphans, and aliens (immigrants?), repaying evil with good instead of evil with evil, and listening before we speak instead of being driven by "righteous intransigence"? Hmmm, I personally think that is a good question.

A Funny Thing Happened at the Jonny Lang Concert

Tonight was an unexpected experience. Perhaps it should not have been unexpected. After all, I find many concerts to be spiritually uplifting experiences. But tonight was different. I went with some friends to see Jonny Lang at the House of Blues. At the House of Blues, I always buy general admission tickets so that I can get up close. I was about eight feet from Jonny tonight. Standing on the floor with hundreds of other people crammed in front of stage is always interesting. You make friends with a lot of interesting people when they have had a little too much to drink. And it's amazing what they will do and say. And there I was with my new friends at the Jonny Lang concert. 

For those who do not know, Jonny Lang is a blues guitar player who has been playing professionally for almost 20 years, and he is only 32 years old! He is a phenomenal player with a unique singing voice and music that blends rock, blues, and gospel. In 2006, he wrote and recorded  a song called, "On That Great Day." This brings me to the point of this blog. He started singing "On That Great Day" and a strange thing happened at the Jonny Lang concert. The B-3 was playing. The singers were singing harmonies. And then the audience starting singing along. I closed my eyes in praise of God. I found myself raising my hands to worship. Yes, we had church! I did not expect to have church at a Jonny Lang concert, but we did. My eyes teared up as I, and a couple of thousand new friends, sang the last chorus to the song. Here are the lyrics to "On That Great Day":

"That Great Day"

We'll meet at the river

We'll be delivered of every chain

Down into the water, children

Mothers and fathers in His sweet name

To drown all our sins

And come up again forever changed

Never to return to the people we were

Before that great day

We'll patiently wait 'til we see His face

And when He appears to wipe all our tears forever away

Then we'll be together in Heaven forever

On that great day, on that great day

We'll patiently wait 'til we see His face

And when He appears to wipe all our tears forever away

Then we'll be together in Heaven forever

On that great day, on that great day

We sang that last chorus together several times until it faded to almost acapella. There Jonny was, leading the church--uh, I mean audience--in worship of his Savior Jesus. True, Jesus is not named in the song. But  who else will we see face-to-face? Who else will wipe all our tears forever away? What amazing to me was that most likely none of these people came to the concert to worship God, or to express faith in God for their futures. 

What really struck me as I worshiped God tonight was that here was a truly missional moment. At Houston Graduate School of Theology and Cypress Oaks Church, two places that I love and at which I spend a good deal of waking hours, we talk about being missional, about being incarnational in the unsuspecting world. Here was a group of people--many drunk, boisterous, and vulgar just moments before--singing praise to God. Jesus was there in our midst. I could feel God's presence. (OK, I can't prove that, but I did experience it.) Jesus was there in that unsuspecting crowd. How often to we have services of worship and struggle to find God's presence. Yet, here it was at the Jonny Lang concert. 

I felt like I was being reminded that almost everyone knows that it is a good thing for sins to be forgiven, binding chains to be removed, and lives to be turned around for better. I think that's why everyone joined it and sang. They were expressing their faith that God will wipe away tears forever. There is a great day awaiting. And all these people are waiting for us to say, "Jesus loves you." People are waiting for us to care for them as much as Jesus does. People are looking for hope, for faith, and for peace. There was a little piece of it tonight at the Jonny Lang concert. 

We'll be together in Heaven forever on that great day. Yes, we will! 

Finally, check out this video of the song. I think you'll like it! 

"All Things for Good"

Today, I preached on Romans 8:28, tentatively in a series of studies on the most misused texts in the Bible. I started last year with these studies of Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 8. Here is the application portion of my sermon today. I thought that I would post these thoughts here.

What do I think Romans 8:28 means for us?

I think that the verse means that every follower of Christ has a role to play in the redemption of the world—of people and of creation itself. When Jesus lived incarnationally—pouring himself out for the world that he loved, thinking of others and not himself, and loving and serving those who he encountered in his life—he met opposition. We meet most of our opposition in the faith because we are trying to push our agendas on people who don’t want them—especially in the world in which we now live. We face opposition because we want to put nativity scenes in front of city hall like we once did. We face opposition because we fight Planned Parenthood and gay marriage. We do not face opposition because we love those in need, serve other sacrificially, fight for the cause of the oppressed in society, or even witness to our neighbors about the love of Jesus. (This is not a political statement or a statement about my opinions on these issues.) If Jesus faced opposition, we will, too. In fact, in John 17, Jesus said that we would. 

I think that this verse tells us that when we face opposition to our faith, when the struggles of this life slap in the face, or when we fall to the ground and can step no further, our lives in Christ and our service for Jesus and world are not in vain. They serve to move this world a step closer to God’s ultimate goal—the redemption of souls and the renewal of all creation (which we see at the end of the Bible). We have a role to play, and nothing can stop God’s purposes, no matter what appears in front of us. We will overcome, even if I do not! Did you hear me? I said, “We will overcome, even if I do not!” This may sound silly, but let me make a conclusion on this thought.

We have in our culture a “cult of self.” Everything is about the individual. While human tendency has always been to care about the self first, this cult of self is not always the driving force. For example, reading about those living in Israel in 1948, you can see a sense of purpose that transcended the individual. Everyone had a role to play, even if they could not see it. And even if people died, their role did not end, and “the good” for them would come when victory was won at the end of the war. We have missed that sense of community today, because we read this verse as speaking about me. We think it means that if I love God enough and follow his plan for my life, then I am guaranteed of God giving me “the good” (which we typically translate into happiness and prosperity—we can hardly do anything else in our culture!), even if it may take a while to get here. This is sometimes true. But this vision is much too small! We are part of a huge story—a story that began in a garden in Genesis, ran through Abraham and Moses and David, and then culminated with the work and teachings of Jesus, then moved on through Paul, James, and Peter, through Clement, Jerome, Aquinas, Wyclif, Luther, Calvin, and Wesley. What a grand mission we have, in God’s kingdom. Can you see it? Our work is important, if only you and I can move beyond the pettiness of self! The pettiness of self keeps our vision far too small, when God wants us to be a part of this amazing, enormous, grand narrative of history! We must be counter-cultural to the cult of self and serve God's kingdom! 

Can we today pray with Jesus that his Kingdom would come and that we could live that kingdom? Yes, we can, if we will open our eyes to the work that God is already doing and the work that we have been called to do. Will you make that your prayer today—to be a part of God’s huge vision for his Kingdom? 

Living Friday

In two days, I will lead our church in a "Good" Friday service. It's the day that we remember the death of Jesus. We remember the suffering of Jesus. We remember the love that led Jesus to die that death--and the Father to allow that death. It's a dark day. The cloth on the cross is black. The sanctuary is normally dark--or almost dark. "Good" is an interesting adjective for the day. It's the Friday of death that precedes the Sunday of resurrection. 

For the first time in my life, I feel like I am living that Friday--three funerals in 10 days, with the first being my father, the second a sweet woman from the church, and the third a close friend and ministry partner who died at 51 years old, not to mention my "second mama" losing her brother three weeks ago, my cousin losing her husband of 46 years in February, and a best friend whose father is dying of cancer. 

Last week, in an email to a friend, I quoted Theoden, from "Lord of the Rings," who felt despair deep in Helm's Deep and moaned painfully, "So       much         death!" Then I remembered Aragorn, who encouraged Theoden, "Ride out with me." We all need Aragorns in times like this--friends to encourage us to keep putting one foot in front of another! 

I also happen to be teaching Psalms right now, and the subject of the past three weeks has been the lament psalms. These psalms contain statements like these (all from The Voice):

• My soul is drowning in darkness. How long can You, the Eternal, let things go on like this? (Ps. 6:3)
• How long must I agonize, grieving Your absence in my heart every day? How long will You let my enemies win? (Ps. 13:2)
• My God, my God, why have You turned Your back on me? Your ears are deaf to my groans. O my God, I cry all day and You are silent; my tears in the night bring no relief. (Ps. 22:1-2)
• Do not allow my enemies to boast over me. Do not allow them to gloat over me, “Aha, we have won! We got what we wanted!” Do not allow them to brag, “We chewed him up and spit him out.” (Ps. 35:24-25)
• The waters have risen to my neck; I am going down! My feet are swallowed in this murky bog; I am sinking—there is no sturdy ground. I am in the deep; the floods are crashing in! I am weary of howling; my throat is scratched dry. (Ps. 69:1-3)

And, yet, if you read these psalms in their entirety, you will find in them also statements of faith in God--statements of trust that God has heard in the past and will hear in the future. These psalms talk of God as "My Lord" and "My God," speaking of a relationship between psalmist and God. There is hope, even in deep darkness. However, there is one exception. Psalm 88 offers no word of hope, no word of trust, no word of faithfulness. The psalmist is forsaken and forgotten, "in the lowest pits of the earth, in the darkest canyons of the ocean" (v. 6). 



This brings me back to Friday. There is no suggestion in the gospel texts that the friends and followers of Jesus were hoping for a miracle. They had watched Jesus die--and he was dead! Friday, and Psalm 88, should remind us that there are times when we feel hopeless. There are times when the darkness overwhelms us and we see no glimmer of light. Death does this to us. And Friday is a day to think of death. Yes, we know that Sunday is coming, but I do not think that the disciples on Saturday were looking forward to Sunday. So, I suggest that on "Good" Friday, we consider the darkness of that night, and the darkness of some of our own days. 

I do have one word of hope here, however. I am so glad that Jesus wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. Jesus understood grief. He understood Friday. I have listened to a song by the artist Eli several times in the past few weeks. The song is entitled, "God Weeps, Too." It give me comfort and hope. It includes this line, "This is for the widow, who now must sleep alone, when the memory of a kiss will have to do. Every night when she lay down, you can almost hear, when God weeps, too." (You can hear the song here.) I believe that God wept on Friday. I think I will, too, as I long for Sunday! 

What is Man? Really!

I have been intrigued for quite some time with how we (Christians, atheists, liberals, conservatives, etc.) tend to misuse scripture for our own purposes. We so seldom see that our culture, history, family, theology, church, etc., affect how we read scripture. I have tentatively entitled my series of thoughts, "The Most Misused Texts in the Bible" (I know, not very original). My first foray into the topic was a look at Jer. 29:11. (See my earlier blog.) We often read Jer. 29:11 as a promise that God has a specific, detailed, individualized plan for each of our lives (One our doctoral students recently called this concept, "The White Board God"). Maybe God has that plan, maybe God doesn't, but Jer. 29:11 is about something else. Let me move on. 

Along the same lines, I am intrigued by our interpretations of Psalm 8:4. I first thought about this a few years ago when I realized that three current contemporary worship songs included the line "Who am I?," followed by some allusion to Psalm 8:4, something like "Who am I that God is mindful of me?" (from Israel Houghton and Michael Gungor, "Friend of God," ©2003 Integrity's Praise! Music and Vertical Worship Songs). Now, I am not trying to insult these songs (the others were by Mark Hall (Who Am I?") and Mary MacLean ("Creator King," sung by Kathryn Scott), not lightweights in Christian music). I actually like the songs, songwriters, and singers. In fact, "Creator King" is a great statement about the Creator God. These songs simply reflect how we read the Bible. We read the Bible through the eyes of individuals, while the Bible was typically written from community eyes. But that should be a different blog. Here are my thoughts on Ps. 8:4. 

Psalm 8 is a hymn of praise to the majestic creator of heavens and earth. The psalmist marvels at the wonders of creation. In the face of the heavens and earth, the moon and stars, the psalmist asks why has God placed humanity in the important place in creation--in God's image, a "little lower than the heavenly beings" (Ps. 8:5). The ESV translates Ps. 8:4, "What is man that you are mindful of him?," which is similar to King James and NASB. NIV does better with "What is mankind that you are mindful of them?" In his new commentary on Psalms, Bruce Waltke translates the verse, "What is a mere mortal that you are mindful of him?" This is a nice translation, that seems to me to address the point of the verse. A bit freer translation can be found in The Voice, which reads: "I can’t help but wonder why You care about mortals—sons and daughters of men—specks of dust floating about the cosmos." While some literal purists might scoff at the freedoms taken in the translation, particularly the italicized text that was added for clarity of meaning, I think that The Voice gets exactly to the point of the verse. 


You see, when we stare out at the skies at night, when we consider the majesty of the cosmos, when we reflect upon our seeming insignificance in the universe, we should exclaim, "WOW! And God loves us!" This psalm is about God, not about humans. It is about the great majesty of God, and also the amazing choice of God to place humans at the top of the food chain. When we consider the creator God, we should think not of our privilege, but of God's choice--God's sovereignty--God's love. And then, we will conclude with the psalmist, "O Eternal, our Lord, Your majestic name is heard throughout the earth" (The Voice).

Great job, kid! Lessons from the Stanley Cup!

This is my favorite time of the year. The Stanley Cup! When the cup was in Duluth one day while we lived there, the line to see it was several hours long. And, some of my southern friends--right now--are asking, "What's the Stanley Cup?" While some of my friends may disagree (if they like), the Stanley Cup is the greatest sport tradition in the world! OK, at least in North America. It was first awarded to the top amateur hockey team in Canada in 1893, and it has been awarded all but two years since, for the past 70 years to the National Hockey League (NHL) champion. 


You might ask, "What's so great about it?" Well, here are a few things. First, the same cup is used every year. The winning team keeps it for one year. Oh yeah, and each person on the team gets his name inscribed on the trophy. Second, there's a tradition in the presentation ceremony. I will never forget when Ray Borque was finally on a cup winning team. The captain of the Avalance, Joe Sakic, deferred his right to hoist the cup over his head for the first victory lap and let Borque skate first with the cup in honor of his many years of greatness in the league. I watched that ceremony on TV live. It was an unprecedented act of deference. Even if the visiting team wins, the fans stay for the presentation. It's that important to the hockey fans. Everyone wants to see the Cup presented. Third, there is the hand-shaking tradition. After each playoff game, both teams line up and shake hands. Some hug. Some give congratulatory words. 


This brings me to the point of this blog. Last night, after the Washington Capitols dispatched the defending champion Boston Bruins in overtime, Boston goalie Tim Thomas said to the Caps' goalie Braden Holtby, "Great job, kid." Tim Thomas is 38 years old, and voted the best goalie in the league more than once in his career. Holtby is 22 years old. This is his first season of significant playing time. Even this year, he spent much of the year in the minor league (AHL). It was an interesting moment. You could actually hear Thomas say, "great job, kid," in the camera microphone. There is a tradition of appreciation for great play in the NHL. There is the unexpected. But after pushing, fighting, and smashing each other up, the players line up, shake hands, congratulate the winners, and console the losers. It can actually be quite moving. It is a sincere act of honor and appreciation for the game of hockey and for each other as hockey players. 


Many of you are wondering where this is going. Well, here it is. Jesus said, "Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (NIV). If NHL players can appreciate, congratulate, and console the other team's players, even after a hard-fought seven-game playoff series, surely we could learn to appreciate, congratulate, and console each other in the church. Followers of Christ beat each other up (usually emotionally, psychological, and spiritually, rather than physically), insult each other, and leave brothers and sisters lying in the gutter. I'm sure this should not be so. So, even if we see things differently than others, let's say, "Great job, kid," to encourage the good qualities and hard work of others. Let's learn a lesson from Lord Stanley! (Lord Stanley is the person for whom the cup was named.)


Just thinking! 

Easter clothes

I wonder how many of you bought new clothes for Easter. I know that many people do. Grandmas (and great-grandmas) always buy the grandchildren new clothes for Easter. It seems to be a time to put on new clothes. I happened to be reading Ephesians during Easter week, and ran across one of the passages where the apostle Paul tells his readers to take off the old and put on the new. Here is Ephesians 4:20-24 (see also Colossians 3) from The Voice. 

      But this is not the path of the Anointed One, which you have learned. If you have

      heard Jesus and have been taught by Him according to the truth that is in Him, then

      you know to take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self—that dark blot of a

      soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust—to take a fresh breath and to let God renew

      your attitude and spirit. Then you are ready to put on your new self, modeled after the

      very likeness of God: truthful, righteous, and holy.

These texts have always fascinated me. Just like we change clothes each day, we are to take off the old and put on the new. In these texts, the object of taking off is a variety of unacceptable behaviors, such as lust, immorality, wicked thoughts, greed, slander, and the like. I dare say that we all have a few things worth taking off. And, what do we put on: love, peace, compassion, patience, and truthfulness. We take off the clothes of the old life and put on the new life in Christ. OK, there is the nice clean spiritual discussion of these verses. But what about the ugly, hard-to-discard, old clothes. 

As always, for me, this comes back to a song, and not surprisingly, a song by Randy Stonehill. He recorded a song in 1990 called "Old Clothes." Here are part of the lyrics. 

      SO MANY HEROES THAT NEVER CAME THROUGH
      TOO MANY ROADS GOING NOWHERE
      AND JESUS WAS WHISPERING "I STILL LOVE YOU"
      AND WITH A LOVE THAT MAKES ALL THINGS NEW



      SO I'M PACKING UP MY OLD CLOTHES WITH MY OLD AND FOOLISH WAYS
      THEY DON'T SEEM TO FIT ME ANYMORE
      I SEE THE LIGHT OF MORNING WITH DIFFERENT EYES TODAY
      AND I'M GIVING MY TOMORROWS TO THE LORD


So often we wear the old clothes of hurt, anger, and frustration. Because we have moved on to a new place, those old clothes don't fit. In fact, we know that they don't fit, but we wear them anyway. Sara Groves spoke of this same phenomenon in her song, "Painting Pictures of Egypt."  The song includes these lyrics: 

      I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt, leaving out what it lacked 
      The future seems so hard and I want to go back 
      But the places that used to fit me cannot hold the things I"ve learned 
      And those roads closed off to me while my back was turned. 


We escape an old life that we longed to leave, but we hold onto the old clothes--the things that keep us from moving forward into the brave new world that God has for us.We cling to the old because it is comfortable, even if it is outdated, dirty, and full of holes. 


But sometimes, it becomes even worse. On the CD "Second Hand Clothing," Eli laments the clothes left behind by his father, found in an old box. These lyrics are painfully poignant to many people that I know: 
      I'm looking through a box my dad just sent me
      Filled with hand me downs and things he once wore
      He passed along his blessings and his curses
      But mainly scraps and nothing more ... no nothing more
      And I pray to God his shoes will never fit me
      And I pray this isn't my inheritance



      I've spent my lifetime dancing with his demons
      They're constantly comparing him with me
      They tell their lies as they look into my eyes and say
      The apple doesn't fall far from it's tree ... and I pray oh Lord not me



      Old man didn't gimme much more than second hand clothing
      But Jesus wants more for me than second hand clothing, second hand clothing


Our world--whether our former way of life, our addictions, our choices, our failures, others' failures, our parents' failures, or just the challenge of the present and the future--leaves us a lot of second-hand clothing. But, we don't have to wear them! That is the miracle of Easter, isn't it? Jesus said, "Not my will, but yours be done," then he died, and then he rose from the death. He threw off the grave clothes, and now we can wear new clothes. 


We can wear the new clothes of new life. The problem is that we often must peel off layers of the old clothes--layers of hurt, disappointment, abuse, pain, betrayal, and self-inflicted destruction. Let's make that our prayer this year. Let's live in our new resurrection lives. Let's leave behind the old, ragged, dirty clothes to wear the new clothes that Jesus has for us. Let's refuse to put the old clothes back on. Let's remember the pain, the stench, the suffering of the old clothes and leave them off, wearing the new clothes of Jesus instead. Will you join me? 

Our "Hypocrite Song"

Sometime in the 1990's, I ran across a singer named Paul Falzone. I loved his wit and poetry, as well as his gritty voice. I never heard from Paul Falzone again. However, a few years later, I heard a singer named Eli. He sounded a lot like Paul Falzone--mainly because he was Paul Falzone. He had taken Eli as his stage name. Why the history? Well, good question. But I was reading in Galatians 2 tonight and thought about an Eli song, called "Hypocrite Song."  The lyrics are worth reading. Here they are:

     I've been quick to point a finger, At things I find outrageous   

     Well, I wonder who I'll point at, When I read my life on pages 

     When I've played my final number, It really won't take long 

     To realize I sang a hypocrite song 

     Chorus: 

     I thank the Lord that there's a Heaven full of hypocrites like me 

     So tell the angels to get ready, Cuz it may not be too long 

     Until I come and sing my hypocrite song 

     I preach about redemption, As I look you in the face 

    Then I'm convinced I must be dyin', But it's just somethin' that I ate 

     But it's Jesus who gives mercy to make a weak man strong 

     So he can stand and sing his hypocrite song 

     (Repeat Chorus)

     I can't wait to see my Savior, and look Him in the face 

     Shake His hand and plainly thank Him for forgiving my mistakes 

     And for helping me remember, that even when I'm right I'm wrong, 

     Then we'll rejoice and sing this hypocrite song 

     (Repeat Chorus)

     (copyright 1999 by Eli, Forefront Records)

I never wanted to see myself in these lyrics, but I did. And, I guess that is why I thought of this song when I read Galatians 2 tonight. In Gal. 2:18, the apostle Paul wrote, “If I reconstruct something I have worked so hard to destroy, then I prove myself a sinner.” Apparently the apostle Peter had come to Antioch to visit his fellow apostle, Paul. Peter visited with Paul and the Christians in Antioch, many of whom were not of Jewish heritage, nor did they keep Jewish law after becoming Christian. Earlier, Peter, Paul, and the leaders of the church in Jerusalem (see Acts 15 and Gal. 1) had agreed that Gentiles who became Christians did not have to become Jews to follow Christ, since salvation was not found through faith in Christ rather than following the Jewish laws. Peter freely moved within these Gentile circles, even eating in their homes--until some Jewish Christians from Jerusalem arrived in Antioch. Now Peter had to decide who to offend--the Jews from Jerusalem or the Gentiles from Antioch. He chose to placate the Jewish Christians, who apparently believed that Christians still must maintain Jewish purity laws to faithfully follow Christ. Gal. 2 records Paul's rebuke of Peter for his hypocrisy. Unfortunately, I can see myself in Paul and Peter--depending upon what spot in my life you want to look at! 

Isn’t this all of our hypocrisy? OK, maybe I'm generalizing too much, and most Christians have no problem with this. I just haven't met them yet! We turn away from people God sent us to love. We rebuild walls as quickly as God tears them down. We celebrate our freedom in Christ only to enslave ourselves again to the rules. We lay down our heavy burdens in worship of our God, just to pick them right back up again. (This reminds me of a song by Jeni Varnadeau, "Why Would You Go Back?")

We are not much different than Peter. Who are the “Jews from Jerusalem” who cause us to display our hypocrisy?  What are the stones that you pick back up? Even more importantly, what are the stones that you cannot lay down at all? What blocks you from hearing from God? What blocks you from the life of obedience and fullness? Imagine a life without them!! Imagine a life of faithwalking! I am! 

That One Samaritan

In Luke 17, Jesus heals a group of lepers. After the healing, in Luke 17:16, one of the former lepers returned to Jesus to say, “Thank you.” Then, the text says that this man was a Samaritan, not a Jew. This is obviously another statement that the Jews were missing who Jesus was. How can it be anything else? We can easily say, "Yep, that's the point," and move on. However, I wonder about the further application of the verse. 

For instance, where are missing worship of Jesus today? Amy Grant sings a song, "Better Than a Hallelujah," written by Sarah Hart and Chapin Hartford. Here are the lyrics (and a YouTube video): 

     God loves a lullaby in a mother's tears in the dead of night

     Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

     God loves the drunkard's cry, the soldier's plea not to let him die

     Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

     We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody

     Beautiful, the mess we are, The honest cries of breaking hearts

     Are better than a Hallelujah

     The woman holding on for life, The dying man giving up the fight

     Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

     The tears of shame for what's been done,The silence when the words won't come

     Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

     We pour out our miseries, God just hears a melody

     Beautiful, the mess we are, The honest cries of breaking hearts

     Are better than a Hallelujah

     Better than a church bell ringing, Better than a choir singing out, singing out

I have seen God in the honest cry of a broken heart, in silence, in pain. Yet, we live our comfortable lives as if we have it all--like the Levite and priest passing the injured man in the Good Samaritan parable (yes, I know that I have mixed parables--forgive me!). I remember the first time that I heard Buddy Guy's song, "Skin Deep." It was at a concert at the House of Blues--not the place where you expect a powerful worship experience. However, there in the midst of the drunks on the general admission floor, I worshiped God. This is a powerful song about how we should treat one another. This is particularly pertinent to the text with which I began this discussion. 

Also, where could we see things that would glorify God if we were attentive, but we miss them because they are from people who are not “Christians,” or not religious? When I was a young follower of Jesus, as a teenager, I found Jethro Tull's album "Aqualung" to be an inspiration. In fact, I once wrote a song because of the way the album spoke to me. Among other things, the album is an indictment of the church, and of the caricature that the church has often made of Jesus. The song that probably hit me the hardest was called, "Hymn 43." 

     Oh father high in heaven -- smile down upon your son

     whose busy with his money games -- his women and his gun.

          Oh Jesus save me!

     And the unsung Western hero killed an Indian or three

     and made his name in Hollywood to set the white man free.

          Oh Jesus save me!

     If Jesus saves -- well, He'd better save Himself

     from the gory glory seekers who use His name in death.

          Oh Jesus save me!

     I saw him in the city and on the mountains of the moon --

     His cross was rather bloody -- He could hardly roll His stone.

          Oh Jesus save me!

Those words still strike me as amazingly poignant. Ian Anderson is not the model for Christian inspiration--a theological outsider, if you will. But he can speak words that we need to hear. We need to hear from the "outsiders," which I guess would make them "insiders." Well, just thinking. 

The Rich Man, Lazarus, and Hell

Do you have a biblical text that haunts you? I don't mean a text that you struggle to understand. I don't mean a text that you wish people did not regularly abuse. I mean a text that really gets inside of you and makes you troubled. Actually, when I read Jesus' teachings in the gospels slowly and carefully, I keep saying, "Did he really say that?" But there is one text that really bothers me. It bothers me because it is abundantly clear. There is really no doubt what Jesus says because he does not hide the point. He announces it. The text is found in Luke 16. 


He tells the story of a rich man. This was a very rich man. He had the finest of everything. No worries or anxiety here. More than enough food to eat. However, outside the gate of his home was a poor man named Lazarus. This poor man was suffering greatly--with leprosy (or something similar) and hunger. He is so hungry that he longs for the scraps from the rich man's table. But the text tells us that the dogs licked his sores, presumably after eating the scraps. (The text does not say this, I am just embellishing a bit.) Perhaps we are to think that the dogs cared more about this poor, suffering wretch of a man than did the rich man. (Again, the text does not explicitly say that.)


Fast forward, and the poor man dies. He is taken away by angels to Abraham's "bosom," meaning in a place of comfort with Abraham.  The rich man dies and goes to the burning place of torment--which is Hades in Greek. From that place, the rich man cries out to Abraham for help. He does not get help, but he does get a succinct explanation of the seemingly explicable situation--inexplicable because this rich man was certainly a good man deserving something better, while the poor man..., well you get it. Here is Abraham's explanation to the rich man: 



"Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish" (Luke 16:25 ESV).



"Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony" (Luke 16:25 NIV84). 



“Son, you seem to be forgetting something: your life was full to overflowing with comforts and pleasures, and the life of Lazarus was just as full with suffering and pain. So now is his time of comfort, and now is your time of agony" (The Voice). 


I have included more than one translation so that you can see that I am not exaggerating in my struggles. What is my struggle, you may ask? Well, the poor man is with Abraham and the rich man is in Hades for one reason: they were poor and rich in this life and now in the future life the tables are turned. The only reason that the poor man is with Abraham is because he was poor in life. The only reason that the rich man is in Hades is because he was rich in life. We typically avoid the difficulty of this text by making it about the greed of the rich man. Most people that I talk to about this text have never struggled with it because they have jumped to that conclusion. And, this explanation may well be true, but it is not the explanation that the rich man receives. He is told that he is suffering because he was rich. Jesus offers no explanation that would soften this message (although he does talk about the impossibility of worshiping both God and wealth in the next chapter). The message simply stands there is stark contrast to our lives. 


So, what do I do with this text? Do I think that all rich people are going to hell? Fair question. If I believe this, then I suppose that I am going to hell, too. After all, I have never been hungry to the point of suffering. I have never longed for the scraps off the floor. I have never lain on the ground suffering while the dogs licked my oozing sores. I am sitting in the comfort of my nice, air-conditioned house, smugly saying that my house is well below the median price of houses in the Houston area. Therefore, I am certainly not guilty of greed, right? 


So, first, I try to balance the text with the other teachings of scripture about wealth.  I know that not all teaching on wealth is negative (although much, in fact probably most, of it is). Second, I work at being generous. I want to give to those in need. Third, I try to avoid living in guilt. Guilt can be a positive motivator, but it can also be a hindrance to growth. Fourth, I try to avoid ignoring guilt. If I am not being as generous as I can be, then I am guilty. If I am ignoring the poor around me, then I am guilty. Jesus is abundantly clear at this point. In fact, Jesus said that when we ignore the poor, we are ignoring him. Hmmm. I suppose then, that the rich man was guilty of ignoring Jesus as his gate. (Again the text does not say that.) 


So, my friends, struggle with me. Let's not be smug and defensive. Let's not be frozen and stuck in our guilt. But, let's hear the hard teaching of Jesus and serve the world, building the Kingdom of God. For, as Jesus also said in Luke 17:25, "You want to see the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is already here among you" (The Voice). Will we have ears to hear? 

Experience Hendrix?

Went to a concert tonight--the Experience Hendrix tribute tour. Artists included Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Brad Whitford (of Aerosmith), Robby Krieger (of the Doors), Robert Randolph, Bootsy Collins, Bobby Cox (of the Jimi Hendrix Experience), and several others. They played over three hours of Jimi Hendrix songs. These artists range from their 30s to their 70s. I asked myself why these guys were on stage performing these songs. Well, perhaps because they were good songs. Perhaps because they enjoy playing together. Perhaps to make a living. Well, maybe all of these, except that probably none of these musicians need this gig to pay the bills, and it is a lot of work to tour with that many people and play only 3-5 songs. So, I think there is a bigger reason for the show. 


The tour is called a tribute tour, and that is exactly what it was. All of these guitar players know that they owe something of what they do to Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix was an innovator. He tried new things with the guitar. He played a different style of riff. He used different combinations of effects. Any rock or blues guitar that followed Hendrix is musically indebted to him in some ways. (Now, just for the record--to hopefully avoid some mean comments--I do know that Jimi Hendrix was not a good role model and is not a person whose lifestyle should be emulated, esteemed, or followed.) This tour, then, is a way to show their gratitude to this innovating guitar player who had such an impact on their craft, their profession, and (probably) their lives. 


This, along with my blog last night, has challenged me to ask, "How have I shown gratitude to those who impacted me?" Thinking about the Christian music influences in my life the past few days in this blog has reminded me of some people who influenced me. I came to faith in Christ at 15 years old in 1976. In the years that followed, many people helped me to become a disciple of Jesus. Jeff Rankin and Jeff Taylor took a few of us leaders in the local high schools and discipled us in a small group. Jimmy Womack hired me at United Saints Bookstore and allowed me to be his friend and partner in the store for several years. Through Jimmy's influence, I met Kemper Crabb and Ray Johnson. These three men (who were about 10 years older than me) were an invaluable influence on my life as a teenager, and I am sure that I never thanked them--and they may not even know it. 


Jimmy trusted me to run his store when he was gone. He introduced me to countless Christian leaders around Houston. He taught me to be a ethical businessperson and better Christian. Kemper let me hang out with Arkangel at Rivendell Studios. He came and spoke to our early morning Youth for Christ group at my high school. Arkangel even came and played one early morning. Ray had an impact on many people's lives--many who probably do not even know it. Through his New Earth Concerts ministry, Ray allowed me to hear Phil Keaggy, Second Chapter of Acts, Sweet Comfort Band, DeGarmo and Key, Petra, Chuck Girard, Resurrection Band, and many others. He knew most of these people personally, and introduced many of us to his friends, believing (I think) that their ministries were worth being a part of our lives. Ray and Jimmy (and others) later started Aslan's Delight, a coffeehouse in Pasadena, TX. I was 18-19 years old but was treated like a partner and friend by these men. Through this ministry, I met Randy Matthews, Resurrection Band, and Servant. All of these ministries had a profound impact on me--encouraging my faith and my desire to know and serve God. 


So, Ray, Jimmy, and Kemper: Thanks for befriending, teaching, and encouraging this young man over thirty years ago. I love you guys and appreciate what you did for me and many others! 


If you've read all the way to here, maybe you have someone to thank! 

Phil Keaggy, "The Master and the Musician"

I cannot honestly say when I first heard a Phil Keaggy song, nor can I say what song it was. I can say this, however. He blew my mind! I considered myself to be a pretty good lead guitar player in those days (the late 1970's). And, I was better than average. But here was a guy who could play things that I could only dream of--no, I could not even dream of them! I remember seeing him play with just his acoustic guitar at a small auditorium on the University of Houston campus in about 1980. I also remember a tour in 1979 or so when the panel van with the band's equipment broke down between Dallas and Houston. Phil came on stage and apologized, then played an acoustic concert for about an hour. Then someone walked out on stage and whispered in his ear. He started a little impromptu chorus of a new song, "Oh, the band is here. The band is here." Then the band set up and played their entire show for us. Wow! That was a great night! (I should thank Ray Johnson for his service to the church in those days. I know he didn't do it for me, but I sure appreciated it--even to this day!)


On my recent ten-hour drive, I heard several Phil Keaggy songs. "Do Lord" with Glass Harp. "Who Will Save the Children" with Randy Stonehill. "Shouts of Joy," which is a great worship song. One of my first great memories of Phil Keaggy was the album, "How the West Was One," with Phil, 2nd Chapter of Acts, and a Band Called David. To this day, that album (particularly Phil's portion) is one of my favorites. He tells the story of his conversion, both verbally and then in the amazing acoustic song, "My Life." Then he burns the neck up on "Time." I remember standing in the United Saints Bookstore listening to "Time," and someone commented on how the crowd went crazy when the song ended. Kemper Crabb happened to be in the store and commented, "And why wouldn't they, after hearing that?" (Or something close to that quote) Ah, the memories. 


I also remember when "Master and the Musician" came out. From the first time that "Pilgrim's Flight" came through the speakers, I was hooked. The album was an amazing soaring musical journey. I listened to it over and over and over (well, you get the point!). It was such a joy a couple of years ago to hear Phil on the 30th anniversary tour of "Master and the Musician." This album title sums up Phil Keaggy for me. He is an amazing musician--a consummate guitar player almost without equal. But, he plays for the Master, for his Lord, for Jesus! He does it with poetry, grace, and power. But he plays for the glory of his God. I am so glad. Thanks, Phil. You have been an inspiration for me! 

Larry Norman--a tortured soul?

Larry Norman was one of the pioneers of Christian rock music--in a time when the words "Christian" and "rock music" were seldom used together in a positive sense. He was certainly important in the Christian music industry. He was also a tortured soul--leaving behind him a wake of broken relationships, hard feelings, and legal entanglements. However, he also left in his wake many new followers of Jesus. Friends, family, ex-friends, critics, and fans discussed all of this ad nauseam after his death on Feb. 24, 2008. One thing that I do know: His music had a profound influence on the lives and the faith of many young Christians in the 1970's. How do I know this to be true? Because I am one of them.  

The first Larry Norman album I ever heard was "In Another Land." I loved the faith of "Rock that Doesn't Roll, the power of "Righteous Rocker," the passion of "Why Don't You Look Into Jesus?," the intimacy of "I Am A Servant," the ephemeralness of "One Way," the fun of "Shot Down," and the poignancy of "Song for a Small Circle of Friends." Who can forget the line, "Love to you, Sir Stonehill, armed with your ax full-gallop on your amp. You're so crazy and you know it, but I love you as we both crawl toward the lamp." Last weekend, I listened to several of these songs as I traveled during spring break. They brought back floods of passion of those days--days of enthusiasm, growth, and excitement. I was a fairly new believer who was learning that the boxes of my upbringing and tradition were human boxes, not divine ones. I was learning that God could move in new and exciting ways. Larry Norman (and Randy Stonehill, Resurrection Band, Petra, DeGarmo and Key, and others) helped me to see a new world of worship, discipleship, and faith. In many ways, these musicians helped to disciple me as a new believer. 

Only later would I come to enjoy Norman's other work, particularly "Only Visiting This Planet," although it had been released several years earlier, a truly powerful album that I almost wore out on my turntable. And later we would sing "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," a poignant song during those apocalyptic days of war--both cold and hot! As a rock guitar player, I also loved the live, bootleg album, "Roll Away the Stone." The version of "Song for a Small Circle of Friends" on that album is amazing. 

Still much later, I would learn of Norman's life struggles, of his failure to live up to contracts with bands, and of his unfaithfulness to friends. Because of my love for Randy Stonehill's music, their struggles particularly saddened me, although they did reconcile in the last decade or so of Norman's life. Why these musings and ramblings? Well, glad you asked. The Bible is full of people who God used. We glorify those people, often ignoring their mistakes (aka sins), forgetting just how human and flawed they were. Abraham passed his wife off as his sister to Pharaoh. Jacob lied and deceived his way to the top of the food chain. Peter denied that he knew Jesus. Yet, these people are heroes of our faith. God uses troubled souls like Jacob, fearful men like Abraham, and cowards like Peter. And, he used Larry Norman, in my life and many others. Aren't you glad God uses the imperfect, rebellious, hypocritical, and flawed people like this? It gives you and me hope! 

Undivided Heart

One of my favorite albums of all time was Twila Paris's "Cry for the Desert," released in 1990. It included "How Beautiful," which we sing in church from time to time--a beautiful Communion song about Jesus and the kingdom of God. It also included "I Will Wait" and "Fix Your Eyes." And "Cry for the Desert" is a longing for a place of close meeting with God. The song that always touched and challenged me was "Undivided Heart." This was true when I listened to on my road trip on Saturday. Here are the lyrics (the notations are mine!). 



          There have been days when I would die for You
          And days when I would not die to me (I can feel that one!)
          There have been nights when I would cry with You
          For the sins of the world and the pain in the city
          But some nights I cried only tears of self-pity (That one hurts!)
          I need a love that will always endure
          Give me a love that is simple and pure


          CHORUS
          Give me an undivided heart, Place a new spirit in me (Ezekiel 11:19)
          Give me an undivided heart, That I may fear Your name (Psalm 86:11)
          Undivided, undivided heart, Undivided, undivided heart


          Lord, You have seen me giving all that I'm worth
          But only to find me taking more (Why am I so self-centered?)
          There are those times when I embrace the earth
          When I rise to the need and I welcome the labor
          And then I must fight to forgive my own neighbor (Struggling to forgive my neighbor, forget loving my enemy, right?)
          I need a love that will always endure
         Give me a love that is simple and pure


I find my own struggles in this song. This song speaks to my own wishy-washy nature--up and down. However, the song also gives me hope. It gives me hope because the struggle has been a human problem for millennia. The quotes from Ezekiel and the psalm show this to be the case. Interestingly, both of the verses were quoted in the sermon this morning. Is that a coincidence? Maybe, or maybe not. 


We are on a journey. We will not win every battle, and not every day will be marked by self-sacrifice, submission to God, and service to others. However, God will hear our prayers as he did the psalmist's prayer. We can pray fervently and work hard. We can ask God for guidance and follow as humbly as our human self will go. It is a journey--the missional journey of the Kingdom of God. It is great to be on it with so many others--past and present. 

The Old Songs

How do you make a 10-hour drive seem shorter? Listen to some old songs. On our drive from Rogers, AR, to Cypress, TX, today, I spent several hours listening to some old songs. These were songs from the early days of Christian music. These were songs from the Jesus People movement. The artists included Larry Norman, The Way, Randy Stonehill, Love Song, Phil Keaggy, Parable, and few later artists: Keith Green, Leslie Phillips, Steve Camp, DeGarmo and Key, Twila Paris, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Geoff Moore. I was struck by the passion. The passion for God, for the world, for the Kingdom of God, and for mission, is palpable in those songs. The songs are full of lyrics that I wish I had written. Many of the lyrics have impacted me for decades. 


One of my favorite lyrics is from Randy Stonehill's song, "Puppet Strings," from his album, "Welcome to Paradise." Here are the lyrics to the chorus: 

          We are all like foolish puppets who desiring to be kings 
          Now lie pitifully crippled after cutting our own strings.



Read that again. 


God has given us all that we need. God wants to supply our needs. God wants to lead us in all facets of our lives. God is, after all, God. God is the creator and sustainer. Yet, like Adam and Eve in the garden, who ate the fruit to gain divine knowledge that was not theirs to have, we cut our strings with God. We go out on our own, and find that we are often unable to accomplish even the simplest of tasks--like pray to God and love other people. As Adam and Eve found themselves banished from the garden to toil in struggle and pain, we cut ourselves off from God. God created us to be his divine image--his puppets. We are to be "Jesus with skin on," as some of my friends would put it. Our strings from God supply direction, sustenance, power, and wisdom, but we cut them. 


I don't know about you, but I want to be crippled no longer. I acknowledge my tendency to go it alone, cutting my ties with my creator. I want those strings attached. I need those strings attached. Thanks, Randy, again, for this reminder! 

Jeremiah 29:11 in the Real World

In my last post, I promised to post my two Jeremiah papers. These are a bit long, so I will not post them here. However, here are links to the two papers. The first link is a fairly detailed interpretive study of Jeremiah 29:11. It includes a lot of Hebrew, but I have transliterated and translated into English for non-Hebrew readers. The second paper is a brief look at Jeremiah 29:11 in the real world--or as real as Facebook, blogs, magazines, Amazon, and ministries can get. If you have time to read them, let me know what you think. 


Shalom or Ra'ah: Jeremiah 29:11 in Its Canonical and Literary Context


Jeremiah 29:11 as a Paradigm for the Twenty-First Century Church

Academics in the real world?

I learned several things last weekend at the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies. For those who don't know (which is, of course, almost everyone--part of the point of this blog), this is the regional meeting of members of such austere groups as Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), American Academy of Religion (AAR), American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), and Association for the Scientific Study of Religion (ASSR). I have included these names and their alphabet soup abbreviations for a purpose, which you will soon learn. At this meeting, academics present papers representing their research to groups of other academics who share their research interests. Yes, it can be as scintillating (and boring) as it sounds.  

I learned that presenting papers at these meetings makes you feel more a part of the conference. I know this seems obvious, but since I have been doing double-duty at the school (teaching and administration) for several years, I have not written many papers. This year I presented two papers, which gave me a new sense of credibility (perhaps only imaginary, but it still felt good) to discuss a variety of matters with people in the meetings. 

The other things I learned--the real point of this blog--is that many people feel my frustration at the failure of academics to make connection with the world at large. I presented two papers on Jeremiah 29:11. One of these papers was an interpretation of the verse based on the Hebrew text. However, the paper was more than this. I wanted to suggest ways that academics could help the church read this verse. As many of you know, Jeremiah 29:11 is everywhere these days--from websites, plaques, posters, t-shirts, songs, blogs, and magazines (this ubiquity was the topic of the second paper). However, the verse is usually misread to be a promise to every individual follower of Jesus that God has a great plan for that individual life. Sometimes it becomes a mantra recited in faith to somehow bring about the hope which it presents. Now, I am not against the idea that God has a plan for individuals, but I do have a problem with reading Jeremiah 29:11 this way. The verse is a promise to the exiled people of ancient Israel that, even in the darkness of Babylon, God is with them. God is watching over them. God will deliver them--after they are faithful to make Babylon better and learn to seek God wholeheartedly again.

My purpose in blog is not to interpret the paper. I will post the paper to the blog at a later date for that. For now, it will suffice to say that I found virtually no academic work that sought to discuss the application of this verse in the church or individual lives. The academic writers did not acknowledge the popularity of the verse in current Christian culture. They did, in other words, leave the people in the church and culture on their own to make application the verse. I think this is a mistake. Academics need to serve the church by helping non-academics--whether they are teachers, pastors, college students, teenagers, seekers, disciples, well, everyone--understand the Bible better. Unfortunately, we academics have indeed built our ivory towers and placed ourselves above the rest of the world that we need to teach. Shame on us. 

However, I learned at this meetings that many others feel the same as me. I know because they told me. Now, we just need to find ways to connect with the public better. There is hope for our future! 

Divided!

What divides us? Race. Economics. Politics. Religious denomination. Theology. Yes, all of these divide us. Politically, the US is so divided that I do not see the two primary parties ever being able to work together again. And among my Facebook friends, I see people loving and hating both sides. It hurts my soul to read some of what my friends post--on both sides. I know that we need to speak out--and it's our right in the US. 


And, what about theological controversy. Bring up evolution. Bring up gay rights. Bring up social justice. Bring up predestination. Bring up open theism. Bring up loving the "alien in the land" (to use a good biblical term). People will chew each other up and tear them apart--right there on my Facebook Newsfeed. I know that we need to stand for truth--whatever that is. What's sad is that all of my Facebook friends who are posting these items are Christians. But...


I was just reading 1 Corinthians 1-3. In these chapters, Paul tells us the things that Christians can and should be divided over. He goes into all of the important things that should divide us. You know what they are? The Voice reads, "Do not allow anything or anyone to create division among you" (1 Cor. 1:10). Nothing? That sounds unreasonable, don't you think? Don't you think?