BEING A LIGHT

This is the second installment of responses to your questions. My hope is to have this be a piece of larger, ongoing conversations, and not to be the last word. Many responses are designed to do just this. My hope is to respond in a way that opens the questions wider, rather than narrow them. With this in mind …Question:We are supposed to go out and be lights ... however, how am I to do that, when I struggle in discussing it with the others? What is your apologetic?Response:So often we equate being the light with knowing what to say, how to say it or when we should say it. And it gets worse. We too often resort to arguing about our faith in an attempt to convince others we are right, and disagreement with us would be a bad move.Perhaps it’s best to first recognize that we are to be the light. Peter Rollins speaks of this in the sense of being an “aroma” for others. Rather than telling others they are hungry, and forcing them to eat, we should act as an aroma.It’s that moment when we didn’t realize we were hungry, and then we smell someone grilling. From that moment all we can do is think about food. Why? Because of the aroma. No one told us what we wanted; we smelled it and knew it immediately. This is much like being the light.It’s like turning up the lights in a dimly lit room. We suddenly can see all that we’ve been missing. Maybe our job is to simply help people see what’s been in the room the whole time.And our world needs this now more than ever.Today, there is a lot of talk, words, information, blogs (way too many blogs!) and general noise. It’s tempting to think that this is good and needed, but this is not always the case. What’s needed are words that mean something. And one thing that lends meaning and weight to our words is the way we live.A few years ago I read an article – and I wish I could find it but I cannot, because I don’t remember who wrote it or where I read it. I’ll try to summarize what I read, and if you happen to know which article feel free to send along and I will post … moving on – I read an article that spoke about how we can talk about our faith.The article spoke of 1 Peter 3 in which says, “Always be ready in season and out of season to give a reason for the hope you have in Christ Jesus.” Many make the “always be ready to give a reason” part the prominent. This strips much of being the light down to mere words and ideas. But Peter was not interested in words alone. He was interested in how the people of God lived too.In the preceding verses, Peter instructed the believers on how they should live. Then he instructed them on being ready to speak. It’s tempting to believe that it can just be word, but it can’t. And it can be just as tempting to believe that it can just be deed, but it can’t. It has to be both – one being a compliment to the other. Yes, they can both stand on their own (and at times they have to), but they are always served well by the other.That article - that I cannot recall at the moment - raised some questions for me, which I will share with you.First, “In what ways am I living as a light in the place God has me?” Our answer to that question should be tangible – something we could see.Second, “What reason do I have hope for hoping in Jesus?” In other words, why do I care so much about who God is? If I were asked about my life, how would I tell my story? However we answer this question will cause us to consider what we might say to others when asked. If we are wrestling with these questions, then we will learn the best apologetic there is … a life lived in the ways of Jesus.

IS ETERNAL LIFE ONLY THROUGH JESUS?

This is the first installment (of many future installments) of my response to your questions (learn more here). My hope is to have this be a piece of larger, ongoing conversations, and not to be the last word. With this in mind, my hope is that this will propel conversation forward. As you will see, many of my responses are designed to do just this. My hope is to respond in a way that opens the questions wider, rather than narrow them. With this in mind …

Question:

Is eternal life with God is only limited to Christians through Jesus Christ? I don't know if I can say that God would condemn so many people to eternity apart from Him, just because they grew up in a different culture and religion and believe different things about Him. Does believing that God may work in bigger ways than we can comprehend across religions devalue the life and work of Jesus and discredit it all?

Response:

This question has often been asked, and as with any question, it is often asked within our framework, culture and context. Perhaps stepping out of our context for a moment would be helpful in considering this question.

Don Richardson does just this in his book Eternity in Their Hearts: Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the World. He speaks toward this question from a variety of cultures and contexts. My favorite story from this book is about the Wa people. Known as a headhunting tribe, they would, each year, during planting season, plant human heads along with seeds. They believed this would appease the gods and give them a good crop.

In the midst of this culture, a prophet would occasionally rise up and call the Wa people to repentance. These men were prophets of the “true God” they called Siyeh. They condemned headhunting and the attempt to appease the gods. One of these prophets of Siyeh was named Pu Chan.

In the 1880’s he convinced his fellow tribesmen to stop their practices of headhunting as other prophets had done before him. In the tradition of the prophets of Siyeh he told the long-standing story of the “white brother with the a copy of the lost book.” Pu Chan told them if they did not stop the “white brother” would not come to the them for fear of being killed.

Thousands repented and ceased their practices. Then, one day Pu Chan saddled a pony and told his disciples, “Follow this pony. Siyeh told me last night that the white brother has finally come near! Siyeh will cause this pony to lead you to him. When you find the white brother, let him mount this pony. We would be an ungrateful people if we made him walk the last part of his journey toward us!”

The pony wandered more than 200 miles through the mountains, walked into a small town, walked toward a well and stopped. William Marcus Young, a white missionary, was in the well. He greeted the disciples of Pu Chan in their language, and, as you guessed, he had the "lost book of the true God."

They fell at Young’s feet and said, “This pony is saddled especially for you. Our people are all waiting. Fetch the book! We must be on our way!” This story that Richardson tells is one of many others that are just like it. These stories show us how far God will go to reach out to humanity. But it also says something about people. Why is it that over the centuries so many seem to know there is something (or someone) else? Where did the idea of Siyeh come from in the tradition of the Wa people?

And it raises more questions.

As the story goes Pu Chan, and more than 10,000 others from the Wa tribe were baptized, and chose to follow Jesus. But what about all those who lived before Pu Chan? What about the other prophets who heard from Siyeh, and called the Wa tribesmen to repentance? What about the Wa tribesmen who in the years before Pu Chan heard other prophets, and repented from their headhunting ways? They responded to the same revelation that Pu Chan and others did. The only difference is they never met the “white brother” or received the “lost book.” What about them?

Billy Graham once said there are some who “may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don't have, and they turn to the only light that they have, and I think they are saved, and that they're going to be with us in heaven … I've met people in various parts of the world in tribal situations, that they have never seen a Bible or heard about a Bible, and never heard of Jesus, but they've believed in their hearts that there was a God, and they've tried to live a life that was quite apart from the surrounding community in which they lived.”

And so, we are left to wonder, how high, long, wide and deep is the mercy of God? How far will he go so that all might know? Only God himself knows this for sure. But one thing we know is that God is one who constantly reveals himself to humanity. He has done this so that we might seek him, and perhaps reach out for him and find him. And the good news? He is not far from any of us …

YOUR TURN TO ASK

We all have questions. Things which cause us to wonder what is best, wrong, right and times we wonder if there is a clear right or wrong at all. Questions are good, helpful and should be addressed and discussed. With this in mind I'd like to invite you to ask some questions.

When I started this blog years ago I did so hoping to write about things that cause us to ask questions or raise concerns. In doing do my hope was (and is) to challenge accepted, collective thinking, to affirm what is true where I see it and ultimately to provide encouragement.

Over the years - just as anything else in life - I have, at times, done this well and other times failed miserably. Recently I've thought about how this site can continue to serve you, the reader. With this in mind, I want to spend a season inviting you to ask questions.

I say this, not pretending to have all the answers. And please do not think I am attempting to be the reincarnation of "Dear Abby." My intent is to stand with you in the questions you ask.

At times, I may share my thoughts. But I also may ask other questions I have about the same subject. Other times I may send you toward an article or book that I found helpful. Ultimately, whatever the replies look like, the intent is that they serve as the beginning of conversation, not the end.

Perhaps there is a subject matter you have been curious about. Maybe you have a question about life or God that has been nagging at you, and you want to get it out there for conversation. So, I invite you to start those conversations and raise those questions.

In all of this, my hope is that you feel heard. Why? Because too often a website like this only ever speaks. And all of us tire of people who speak and don't listen. Now, enough talking. It's my turn to listen.

If you have a question or a subject you are curious about, please feel free to let me know. The best way to do so is to click here, scroll toward the bottom of the page and send me a message. (Please know your information will be kept confidential and I will not use your name on the posts to respect anonymity.) Ask away!

GOD BLESS NORTH KOREA

Sometimes taking the Bible literally seems ridiculous. In fact, it’s so crazy that even many who demand a literal reading of the Bible do not take it literally. I don’t blame them. At times, it’s hard to believe what’s written in the pages of Scripture.

I’m not referring to seemingly tall tales like the story of a snake tempting two naked people to eat fruit. Nor am I talking about to a the waters of the sea being parted and a nation of slaves escaping or the story of a man being swallowed - and later vomited onto a beach - by a large fish or a prophet being whisked away to heaven by a whirlwind, riding in a chariot of fire.

I am referring to the commands of Jesus to bless those who curse us, love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. These are the commands that, when taken literally, are, not only, completely ridiculous but also seem to be naïve.

But, if we claim to take the Bible literally, then we must pause to consider our support of violence and aggression toward anyone – especially our enemies. This goes beyond not hitting someone back who has hit us.

Jesus asks us to wish our enemies good, not harm. He asks for us to seek their best interest even if it comes at the cost of our best interest; because that’s what love does. He asks us to “do good” to those who hate us, which is another way of saying we need to perform beautiful, gracious acts on their behalf.

We are tempted to think that while his teachings are good, they just don’t work in our world today. Some teach us that we need to do all we can to protect our way of life and ensure our freedoms. At times, this means defending our land and our nation. We have a real time example of this in our world today.

North Korea recently said they were in a “state of war” with South Korea and appear to mounting an offensive. While some dismissed these words and actions as rubbish, others took them more seriously. In the last few days, U.S. F-22 stealth fighter jets were flying about the Korean peninsula.

The presence of these jets is seen, by some, as an emphasis of the United State’s commitment to protect and defend South Korea, should their neighbors to the North decide to attack. It’s no secret that the ideals and philosophy of the North Korean government are at odds with the United States. As a nation, we are obliged and feel that it is our best interest to protect a valued ally like South Korea. From a nationalistic standpoint, this makes sense.

It is the same attitude many in this country have always held. As the thinking goes, if we, or an ally, are threatened, harmed or attacked we will attack you back. When we do, we will hit much harder and will not stop until every enemy is thoroughly decimated. Not only, do many hold to this way of thinking, they enthusiastically support it – even those who hold to a literal reading of the Bible.

Throughout our country, many churches shamelessly fly the flag of the United States and celebrate our nation’s aggression. Their value is not so much “God and Country” but “Country and God” – in that order.

While we would never admit to dismissing the words of Jesus as nonsense, the reality is we don’t need to. The way we live, and our support of national vengeance and aggression toward our enemies says enough. If we are honest, we really don’t take the Bible literally, much less the words of Jesus himself. If we were to take the Bible literally the people of God would seek the highest good for North Korea. Not just for the two-thirds of their population who regularly lack adequate food, but also for its leadership. We would spend time praying for the likes of Kim Jong Un and Pak Pong Ju – asking for God’s goodness, grace and favor to rest on them.

We might even say “God Bless North Korea,” and no longer reserve that phrase only for America. More than this, we would use these words for anyone who is considered and enemy. We might say, “God Bless the Taliban” and “God Bless Iran.”

We would not only say these words, we would mean them. But for this to happen, we would have to uproot our hearts and minds from the soil of this earthly nation in which they are currently planted. Doing so would be our first step in confessing we have not loved our enemy, nor have we sought the highest good for those who hate us.

Only then can we replant our hearts and minds in the grace of the Kingdom of the God who sends rain on the just and the unjust. And from this place, we just might find that we are, at last, taking the Bible far more literally than we ever have before.

FURY IS LOVE

In his book, The Furious Longing of God Brennan Manning speaks of the depth of God's love for us. A love so deep and passionate that he describes it as "fury." With this in mind, this particular quote from his book grabbed my attention. May it bless you this day.

"When the night is bad and my nerves are shattered and the waves break over the sides, Infinity speaks. God Almighty shares through His Son the depth of His feelings for me, His love flashes into my soul, and I am overtaken by mystery. These are moments of kairos - the decisive inbreak of Gods fury into my person life's story."

UnLost

I am thrilled to announce the title for my book:UnLost: Being Found by the One We Are Looking For The book deals with the reality that most of us spend our lives doing all we can to get to God, but the story of the Bible is about God doing all he can to get to us. The book explores the reality that, even in our best attempts, we will always fall short in our attempt to reach out to God. At the same time, God was willing to do all he could - even give his life - to reach out to us.  And what if we lived each day believing this?I'm excited for you to read more in the days ahead.

WE SHOULD STILL CELEBRATE EASTER

On Easter Sunday, we as a community reflected on the fact that the story of the resurrection begins with death. This is why many from Denver Community Church gathered together on February 13 to observe Ash Wednesday – the gateway to Lent. On this day we remember that from dust we have come and to dust we will return.

During the Lenten Season we give some things up, and we uproot that which does not belong from the soil of our hearts, souls and lives. Lent is a season of death. This is good and necessary and right, but it is not where the story ends. Easter teaches us that life, not death, has the final word. But too often we stop with death.

Consider the fact that most of us spend 40 days during Lent grappling with our sin, brokenness and mortality, and only one day celebrating the resurrection on Easter. Over the years I have often celebrated Easter on Sunday, and then woken up on Monday thinking, “Now what?” Perhaps you have felt the same way, and maybe this is the reason we often struggle to live our life to the fullest. In light of this, on Sunday we, as a community, asked some questions. We asked:

Now that we have uprooted things from the soil of our lives, what if we planted something new? Now that we have given some things up, what if we took some things up that would bring life to us and to others?

Together, we decided that just as we spent 40 days during Lent in fasting and introspection; we will also spend 40 days in taking something up and celebration of new life. Many have responded as to what that will look like for them.

For some it’s exercise, waking early to spend time in prayer, praying each day specifically for loved ones, writing notes of encouragement to forty different people, spending time reading each day, dating their spouse and the list goes on. And so, I invite you as well.

What might you take up in celebration of life? What new seeds will you plant in the soil of your life that will give life to you and others? Perhaps you have already done this – what is that you have planted? My hope is that in this, we will spend this Eastertide Season remembering that life, not death, has the final word.

WE NEED TO LAUGH

Anyone who knows me at all, knows I love to laugh, play and have a good time. Part of this is my personality, but a big piece of this is very intentional. I believe that we should all laugh and play more than we do. This is not in competition with work or rest. Rather, it is an integrated part of both, for it is a necessary part of life.

A few years ago a fellow leader at Denver Community Church told me that "she was learning to laugh again." She had been in an environment where joy and laughter were nonexistent. I said, "Well, if that's the case, then you've just been thrown into the deep end." My belief is that it takes vulnerability not only to weep with others, but also to laugh with others. Both are a risk, both have their place and both are necessary.

Recently, my friend Scott sent me a wonderful, short blog post by Peter Scazerro. He reflects briefly on the importance of having a "theology of play". He writes:

Like most leaders I tend to work too much. My family didn’t do play. We worked hard. I naturally bought this into my leadership for Christ over the last 25 years at New Life. Jurgen Moltmann's, A Theology of Play,  (out of print of course), has the best theology I have read on this topic. + Continue ReadingIf you are not laughing often; it may be worth exploring why you do not. I'd love to hear from you, about how do you laugh and play. Perhaps responding to this question: What brings you joy?