R3: radical, revolutionary, different

Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean it’s not hard to watch the economy fall apart.  It doesn’t mean there isn’t any stress involved with facing hard times.  What it does mean is that we need to remember to trust God.  He knows what we need, and frankly it’s not really another video game or a new car - what we really need is a stronger relationship with him. 

I don’t always find that comforting as I enter into a crisis.  But that doesn’t make it any less true.

Lord - I pray for all the people who are being affected by this financial crisis.  The people who are losing their homes, their jobs, and their financial security.  Encourage them.  Help them to lean into you, so that they can overcome any obstacle.  And for the rest of us, help us to remain generous, to stay bold, and to act in love.  Amen.

Once again Christopher, from Got-Fruit? , has some insightful comments when asking what’s the point.  And yes, the title of this post is horribly misleading!

E.B.,

Reference: “And it’s only by remembering that can we ever hope to reshape the world, and bring light into darkness.”  Thank you!!!!  The part in bold is what seems to be missing from so many conversation about social change, changing the world, or what have you.  In all fairness though, maybe I’ve just overlooked it.

Without saying His name, that sentence reiterates in my mind (even before checking the link: bring light) that it is in fact Jesus that must be at the center of all we as Christians do, otherwise it’s as if we’re trying to do our will in the name of God, not God’s will in His own name.

In an odd and probably morbid sounding way to a non-believer, I see living as a Christian as kind of analogous to being a Kamikaze pilot.  Not meaning literally for anyone to test their faith by say jumping in front of traffic yelling “Halt in the name of the Lord!”, hoping that the driver of the Pepsi truck stops;  rather though, to assume a care-free attitude towards the things that the world constantly thrusts in our face as being important, or that needlessly draw our attention from the fact that God is in control and He’s got our back.  Mix in a little of Peter from Office Space with healthy doses of Biblical wisdom, faith, common sense and last but not least…reliance on God.

And since I have nothing to add to that, I say we watch a few scenes from Office Space!

If you’re anything like me, you’re easily distracted by bright shiny objects - or as Homer Simpson said, “That dog has a puffy tail!”  That’s why I find I need to use a few phrases to keep me focused.  Which is why, or the last few weeks, we’ve looked at some of those phrases: 

Phrase 1:  The joy of the Lord is our strength
Phrase 2:  Are you dead?
Phrase 3:  Have you prayed about it?
Phrase 4:  What’s the point?

There are other phrases I use, but these are the ones I come back to time and again.  As I’ve been reflecting on this public declaration of phrases, I realized I like to ask myself questions.  I don’t have some fancy, scientific reason why.  I just know that when I ask questions I look at things from all angles.  I put on my “scientist hat” and tend to be a bit more objective about my own behavior.

It’s easy to become distracted.  But it might be even easier to pass over my behaviors and chalk it up to “a bad day” or “just one time” when in fact it’s a common habit.  My hope is that these phrases trigger something in you.  That maybe next time you start to take a step down the wrong path, you pause and ask yourself, “what’s the point?” or “have I prayed about this decision?” 

God has never promised us that our lives would be easier if we chose to follow him.  He’s just promised us that he is the best way to live our lives. 

Unstable. 

That’s usually a term we use for dangerous chemical compounds or people suffering from mental illness.  But it also describes the world we live in.  Every day we are pushed and pulled by forces outside of our control.  And perhaps nothing terrifies me more than not having control.  My guess is I’m not alone.

The problem is, it’s this instability where God calls us.  He wants us to make the world look more like him and less like us.  To do that he asks us to bring light to a dark world.  Of course the very meaning of ”dark” suggests we’re entering into things unknown.  Which doesn’t sound exactly calm and peaceful to me.

As I watch the news, or read the Drudge Report, I can’t help but find myself overwhelmed by unstable times.  Today the news is that greed and corruption have doomed America.  Friday it was joy at how wonderful it was that stocks shot up hundreds of points.  Today Russia assures the world that war could never break out between the US and itself.  But last week Russia was threatening to take control of the arctic. 

How can God ask us to bring truth and grace into a world that changes by the hour?

Why does God ask us to go into dark places if we’re to be killed?  Why does he ask us to trust him, when it may lead to being jobless?  What’s the point?  I can’t help but think like the writer of Ecclesiastes when he said, “meaningless, utterly meaningless.”

Ironically it’s in that question where we find the answer.  What is the point?  If we’re living for financial wealth the fluctuation of the stock market is a major issue.  If we’re living for security, Russia’s aggression posses a threat.  If we’re living for comfort, losing your electricity for a week is a major crisis.  But none of that is where God asks us to focus.

He’s asking us to live for something eternal.  Something that’s not of this world.  And for once we’re not talking about ALF.  He’s asking us to live for a Kingdom we can’t even imagine right now. 

The Bible is very clear that while we may be rewarded for our faith here on Earth, the real reward is waiting for us in Heaven.   Jesus himself says, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5: 11-12)

In the end we are told by the media and our politicians that we can be killed in any countless ways.  Maybe it’s by not wearing seat belts.  Maybe we’ll be kidnapped because we’re foreigners in a foreign land.  Maybe we’ll die from tainted milk, or starve to death because we have no money.  Well, you get the point. 

In a world that tells us to not take action - God calls us to take action.  In a world that says, “there is no point” God says, “I AM the point.”  And it’s only by remembering that can we ever hope to reshape the world, and bring light into darkness.  It’s the only way we will ever have the strength to endure the hardships, the fear, and the instability, but still pick up our cross and march forward.

As people of faith, we live for a different Kingdom.  A different reality.  And that’s the point.

I have now reached 5 days without power, and I have to admit, I’m a little cranky.  Living without power has really forced me to consider a few things as I mentioned earlier.  But the most pressing is being caught between feelings of helplessness and “in the overall scheme of things this isn’t a big deal.”  Depending when you ask me, I’m either irritated or I’ll simply shrug my shoulders and say, “who cares?”  As a wise friend said the other day, “this storm reminds me that there is a God, and I am not him.”

helplessness

God - I’m confused.  Part of me feels helpless.  I can’t get into a rhythm with my life.  My routines are destroyed, and I find that I draw a lot of comfort from those routines.  Maybe that’s wrong.  Maybe I need to draw more comfort from you, and less from what I do with my time.  But I admit, not all of me feels helpless.  Part of me feels perfectly calm, because I know that none of these problems really matter.  Who cares if I can’t watch TV for a week?  Who cares if I had to throw away all my food?  What does it matter if I need to burn candles instead of flip a switch?  You tell us to not worry, because it won’t add a day to our lives.  And that if the flowers of the field don’t worry about clothing, we shouldn’t worry about our situations - because you already know what we need.

I know that there are people in worse shape than me.  But I still find myself being selfish.  I seem to be caught jumping from one extreme to the other.  And I feel guilty about that.  Help me to center myself on you.  Help this storm, this irritation, become something that draws me closer to you. 

Pull me closer Lord, pull me closer.

 <comments are open, feel free to add your own prayer for people who are currently living without power, both here and abroad>

R3 is currently running a series entitled “Phrases.”  Today, however, I’m going to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming.  Mostly because I lost power over the weekend (like tens of millions of people) which makes it difficult to write things on the internet.  So today, instead of business as usual, I want to just take a breath and comment on something I’ve been thinking about since 3:00 yesterday.

Every time I lose power I’m shocked (no pun intended) at just how much of my life revolves around electricity and technology.  It seems everything I do from waking up in the morning to relaxing in the evening requires electricity.  I couldn’t even spend time reading because my apartment was too dark. 

While I’m not alone in this realization about electricity, it does drive a point home for me: the people who wrote the Bible lived so differently from me it’s hard to even imagine their lives.  How can I relate to someone who lived their entire life without electricity, running water, or most importantly, Google? 

Yet they wrote of such profound truths that their advice - the wisdom of the Bible - is still relevant today.

Of course Christians would argue that it wasn’t simply people who came up with the advice, but God.  And judging by just how relevant the Bible is to modern life, I have to agree.  It’s a bit humbling to realize that God knows us so well he can predict our current behavior from thousands of years ago.  Despite all of our modern conveniences and ways we’re still the same people who rebelled against him in the Garden of Eden.  Humanity hasn’t changed, only the shape of our daily lives.  If this doesn’t drive home the relevancy of the Bible, nothing will. 

I may be without power.  And that may last a few days or a week.  But with each passing moment I thank God (literally) that his patience is more reliable than my electric company!

At any given moment we have an almost limitless amount of choices.  What do I wear today?  What should I have to eat?  Do I really want to go to the gym?  Who will I go out with tonight?  Do I even want to go out?

And those are just the superficial questions.  There are times when we’re faced with choices that will change our lives forever.  Do I cheat on my wife?  Do I steal from work?  Should I have an abortion?

Every moment of life presents us with choices.  It’s a great burden, but it’s also exciting.  Good decisions often lead to a life of wonderful experiences.  Bad choices can seemingly ruin our lives.  We read books about decision making.  We study things like “leadership” in schools and laboratories.  We measure a person’s genetics to see if they will make good decisions or bad.  We even have dartboards that make our choices for us.  Yet how often do we stop and ask God what he thinks about our choices?

Moses, David, and Jesus all had regular conversations with God.  They all asked him questions as they were making major decisions.  Moses asked for strength as he led the Israelites away from Egypt.  David asked for forgiveness because of his adultery.  And Jesus made sure God really wanted him to sacrifice his life for ours.

Each of those men faced major life decisions and turned to God for help.  To me that seems like a good model to follow.  I don’t want to get to Heaven only to find out I didn’t live my life to the fullest - just because I was afraid to ask God what I should do. 

Prayer is part of how we are to live as Christians.  It’s part of what separates us from this world, while also making us able to serve the needs in this world.  Paul tells us that prayer should be part of how we fight off the dangers of this world.  Why would he say that if he didn’t think it would make a difference in our lives? 

So in this third part of our phrases series, I have just one question: have you prayed about it?   

Another phrase I use is something I recently heard.  A few months ago I heard Harvey Carey (pastor of a church in Detroit) talk about dead people.  Not the “I see dead people” kind, but living as dead people.  Which is entirely different than the living dead.  And yes, I really have no idea what I’m talking about right now.

But moving right along, lets focus back on the dead people.  Carey’s main point was this: there would be very little complaining about the clothes we wear, the people we’re around, or even the places we spend our time.  Because, well, dead people don’t complain.

When I heard him say it, I realized it was simple, short, and most importantly, true. 

The minute someone believes in Jesus they become dead to their sins.  Yet we spend so much time complaining that other Christians “don’t do this” or that they “do do that”?  Dead people don’t care if the band plays with the volume at 11, or if people wear suits and ties to church.  They are too focused on what matters - being dead.

I know I don’t always focus on being dead.  All too often I’m caught up in my preferences for things.  That wouldn’t be too bad if it didn’t completely distract me from living a sacrificial life style.  If I wasn’t so wrapped up in getting new toys to play with, or competing with the Jones’s, I wouldn’t be so hesitant to drop everything and help my friends. 

God’s Kingdom is one that focuses outwardly.  It’s not about collecting the most, or even looking the best.  It’s about allowing our self importance to die, so we can help people who need it (for the record, that would be all of us). 

So when you get right down to it, that’s the advantage of being dead, you can really focus on other people.

Life has a way of overwhelming us.  It’s easy to get distracted, to lose focus, and to simply make poor choices.  For the next few days we’re taking a look at phrases that help us keep our bearings so we make the right choices, not the easy choices.      

No matter who you are or what you do, you will face stress, trouble, and pain.  It’s just a fact of life.  Some of us face more than our share.  In the midst of all this stress and pain we have to find ways to deal with that reality.  Often we turn to God, expecting him to act like Santa Claus and simply give us a bunch of goodies.  The truth is, God doesn’t always solve our problems for us.  So if we’re waiting for God to bring us out of poverty, or bring back a lost love, or in my case the return of Voltron to TV, we may never be satisfied. 

But just because God doesn’t always miraculously solve our problems, doesn’t mean we are allowed to sit around doing nothing.  Or worse, feel sorry for ourselves.  God wants us to be active.  He wants us to be engaged in the present.  He knows that if we wait for our lives to be perfect before we act, we’ll probably never do anything.  

But how do we act when things feel so overwhelming?

Over the last few years I’ve probably heard Chris Tomlin sing ”Holy is the Lord” 100 times.  But it wasn’t until recently that one line in that song really struck me.  He says, ”the Joy of the Lord is our strength.”  I began asking myself, what if my strength really comes from knowing God is happy with my life?  What if the way to overcome the pain and challenges of life is to embrace God’s joy?  What if his joy is more powerful than any other thing I can do?

I’ve always wondered how some Christians can bear unimaginable suffering but still hold onto their faith.  I think it’s because they understand this - that no amount of suffering, no amount of treasure, no amount of praise, is worth giving up God’s joy in our lives. 

There’s nothing in my life that ranks as particularly traumatic.  I’m not facing death or torture.  Although getting ready for another season of reality TV sure feels like that.  But God does ask me to do things I’m not comfortable with.  He asks me to engage in people’s lives when I’d rather watch TV.  He asks me to trust him, when I’d rather trust my bank account.  As I look at these decisions, they scare me.  That’s usually when I feel the panic raising up.  So I remind myself, “the joy of the Lord is my strength.”  And that’s enough to help me stay focused.

Perhaps this is best summed up by Bill Hybels in The Volunteer Revolution, “I’ve never known joy outside of pursuing God’s calling on my life.  Whenever I’ve wandered even five degrees off that course, I’ve lost the sense of God’s smile that I can’t live without.”

I’m beginning to see just how true this is.

“Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything’s okay and everything’s going right”

Those are wise words from (of all people) Alanis Morissette. 

I’ve always admired those characters in books or TV who seem to be one step ahead of everyone else.  I’ve always wanted to be like Sherlock Holmes, anticipating events before they happened.  But I’m not.  Some days I’m barely anticipating events after they happened.  There are just some moments in my life that seem to sneak up on me.

I suspect this is called “life.”

Sometimes these events are so stressful, so overwhelming, that they change everything.  No matter how well prepared I thought I was, it wasn’t enough.  That’s hard to take.  It can shake your faith, your vision, and even your relationships.

There’s an adage in the military that you’re always preparing to fight the last war, not the one coming.  This is true of our lives.  We respond to the dangers, threats, and problems we’ve faced in the past, not the one’s that are to come unexpectedly at 3 AM.  Because then they wouldn’t be, um, unexpected…

If I’m going to make a major mistake in my life, it’s usually in these situations.  I tell myself that I don’t have enough time to think things through.  That I must act immediately.  Sometimes I don’t even think at all, I just go with the flow.

That’s a dangerous place to be.

No matter the excuse the bottom line is simple: I don’t turn to God when my life gets out of control.  Sadly, I usually don’t even think about turning to God.  I’m too busy trying to reduce my stress and fears.

Obviously that’s a problem.

The last few years I’ve worked hard at trying to remember to take a deep breath, say a prayer, and wait just a bit before I plunge into activity.  Sometimes this works, sometimes not so much.  But I’ve learned the hard way (which is apparently my preferred learning style) a simple trick.  I’ve learned that if I say a simple phrase, it’s usually enough to get me at least on the right path.

I have a friend who has trouble talking to girls.  To not look like an idiot he tells himself, “use your words.”  It’s a little goofy, and I don’t know if I really believe him, but it’s the same theory I use.  There’s nothing wrong with reminding yourself of the things you hold dear.

Over the course of the next few days we’re going to take a look at some of the phrases I use.  They are all designed to make  me stop, think about God, and then act in a much better way.  And because I recognize that I don’t know everything, I’d like to hear if you guys have phrases as well.  Consider it a collective project.  Maybe we can all learn a little something from each other.

Phrase 1: The joy of the Lord is my strength
Phrase 2: Are you dead?
Phrase 3: Have you prayed about it?
Phrase 4: What’s the point?

 <comments are open>