I need help

Before anyone writes in stating the obvious; I realize I need a lot of help in many areas of my life. Ok, I stole your thunder and witty response now we can move on.

For a class I’ve taken I noticed something in the gospels. You see, I had to read all four gospels five times each before I could start the first assignment. While this seemed like a daunting task it really became an enjoyable experience. Reading the words of Jesus everyday for a couple weeks. Devouring large portions of Scripture was awesome!

This thing I noticed is not necessarily awe inspiring. It’s just something my simple mind noticed and have been pondering for a few weeks now. I understand it could be a matter of wording, but I can’t seem to get this thought out of my head. So instead of writing to challenge – I’m asking a question: Why do we as Christians hold to the ’born again’ terminology Jesus uses, which is mentioned once as a marker of faith (John 3) but Jesus says to give away all two different times (Mt 19, MK 10, Lk 18 are the same story; Lk 12 is different) and we don’t follow that?What I mean is in churches all across America if someone is to become a follower of Jesus there is a tendancy to push people to pray a prayer (which I’m not saying is wrong, it’s just not part of this discussion) in order to claim he/she is ‘born again’ as Jesus mentions in John 3. I understand what it means to be born again and I understand we are a new creation in Christ. I really do get all that. My question is: Why haven’t we as Christians sold everything to live communally? To share so no one is poor. To care for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ like in the book of Acts.

There is an old adage from my school days that goes something like this: if the teacher says something once take it in to consideration but if a teacher says something twice write it down or do it.

Jesus is much more than a teacher, he is God in the flesh. Jesus mentions to a man (Mt 19, MK 10, Lk 18) who wants to enter the Kingdom to sell all. Too often that is taught because money was this man’s g0d. I don’t disagree. BUT, Jesus disciples were by no means wealthy. Their possessions were more than likely very limited and yet Jesus tells them (Lk 12) to “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.”

Why are we (I place myself here too) quick to claim we are born again but still hold on to our possessions while kicking our leftovers to the needy? The thing that gets me is Jesus says this to the rich man but also to his disciples who were mostly poor.

Where do I go from here?

an appropriate question

I read an interesting quote by Tony Campolo about 2 months ago. The quote reads – “Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?”

For me it is the question of whether Jesus is the Golden Ticket I happened to find in a chocolate bar or is my relationship with him real?

While it’s clear Jesus died for my sin because he wants to spend eternity with me, that can’t be all there is to the Christian life. At least that’s not what my Bible says. My Bible talks about a life of community, a life of friendship, a life of hardship, a life of suffering, a life of serving The One True God.

Which brings me back to the question posed by Tony Campolo “Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?”

Based on what I know my life to be prior to April 2, 1995 and what my life has been since that date I would say an emphatic yes. But, if I’m completely honest with myself though, I’m not sure I would have ever made the choice to give my life to God if there wasn’t a ‘hook’. Eternity is what got me through the first few years of following Jesus as Savior. That day in April there became a goal, there was light at the end of the tunnel of life I had been living.

Really, I’m not sure Tony asks a fair question. As human beings we tend to do things for reward. Whether it is a good job at work for a raise or promotion or maybe taking the second job so you can afford a new car, house, boat, ??? or whether the reward is the simple  joy on someone’s face. We are driven by an internal desire to please.

That’s why I’m not sure the question is fair. It’s trying to look outside of a current reality as though the reality doesn’t exist. Heaven does exist. Hell does exist. It’s too convenient a question for Christians to answer. We Christians aren’t good at answering the standard Sunday morning question ‘How are you?’ with any sort of honesty and sincerity, how can we possibly answer a question that has no basis for reality.

No it’s too easy for us to settle in to the routines of ‘church life’ and never ask the questions that really matter. Try reading Matthew 19.16-30 and put yourself in the position of the young man. Instead of passing the text off as not relevant because you’re not wealthy replace the money with whatever is most important to you: family, status, church, parents, education. Whatever is most important to you Jesus asks you to give up to follow him.

That might be a better question: If you were asked to give up family, job, education, status, wealth, car, food, house, etc would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?

For me this question is simple to answer – yes. If Jesus asked me to leave behind Lanae, Taryn, Moiya, paycheck, car, house and friends I would still choose to follow Jesus. It would be too easy to say that God would never ask that and yet he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. He asked the disciples to get up and follow him. Leaving everything behind. He asked Jesus to die. He asks you and I for complete surrender to every aspect of our life. Why shouldn’t he ask us this question.

What would your answer be?

the harem of Jesus Christ

I’ll just say it up front. Some of you won’t like what I’m about to write. For you the best option is to close the browser now. For those of you who choose to stay and read on just know I struggle with saying this as much as you might reading.

I’ve been troubled by the state of the North American church pretty much since accepting Jesus as Lord of my life. Not the teaching, preaching, doctrines or programs (these can be saved for another discussion), rather I’m concerned with the simple fact that Jesus Christ said he is coming back for a bride but the denominations, non-denominational (which is a denomination for those who don’t want to be part of a denomination) and theological camps have forced the church to look more like a harem.

We move independently of each other while claiming to be THE bride as though we are unified. We tiptoe around and play nice when we are in the presence of the King but ultimately we look for ways to prove we are the true bride.

Now I realize some of you are worked up about how I could claim such a thing about the church, the bride. Well, I did and I don’t see anything to lead me to think otherwise. The church in North America is losing ground in the eternal fight for souls. The church is not growing. We are merely moving church goers from one building to another depending on who has the best program or the newest, best preacher.

It’s sad really. Jesus wants to come back to his bride, not a harem. We as the church, the bride of Jesus Christ, have to work together to make a significant impact in the darkness of this sinfilled world. To do that we have to  We have to work together to disciple instead of swapping. We have to start acting like we are one bride instead of individuals.

In the words of Rodney Glen King: “People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible for the older people and the kids?…It’s just not right. It’s not right. It’s not, it’s not going to change anything. We’ll, we’ll get our justice….Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we’re all stuck here for a while. Let’s try to work it out. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to work it out.”

Amen.

Feeling small

I had opportunity this past year to do more hiking & backpacking than I had ever done before. I love that I am making friends with a desire to get into the simplicity of the woods without technology or demands of life creeping in. There is true freedom to be found in the wild, the forest, the woods, the sticks or whatever you want to call them.

There was one thing I noticed on backpacking trips more this year than any other year. The night sky. With the lack of rain in the Northwest this summer, fire bans were in effect in many forests. Without a fire in the evening I found myself sitting or lying on the ground staring at the immensity of the stars, galaxy, planets and whatever else might be in the ‘black’.

The longer I stared the more I realized I was so small and insignificant in the grand scheme of history. I realized the world is small in the grand scheme of the universe. I realized I had more to learn about life than I had to teach. I realized I am in need of more than this world could ever offer. I realized how small I really am.

As a Christian I sometimes get lost in my own self-importance. I sometimes lose sight of what really matters in this world. I sometimes come to realize my need for a Savior who can teach me to love. I love my time out in the woods. It allows my life to recalibrate. My priorities realign – Jesus, Lanae, my girls, family, community of disciples, other relationships and stuff.

This is the order of my priorities. When I look closely at my priorities, I realize the importance of my relationships. I realize I am nothing without Jesus. I realize the importance and love I have for Lanae and how she is the single most important earthly person in my life. I realize how proud I am to be the father of two awesome and beautiful girls. I realize how important my family (both mine and Lanae’s) really is to me. I realize how a community of disciples chasing hard after Jesus sharpens me, encourages me and strengthens me. I realize I’m small in all of these.

You see I have to choose to be small. Because when Jason is big then Jesus gets crowded out. But when Jason is small then Jesus can be big and I want people to see Jesus, not me. So it’s good for me to get out into the woods. To hit the trails of the backcountry. To make sure my priorities are straight and if they’re not to re-order them.

The way I see it, to have a big impact in this world I have to be small. So, that’s what I choose for me.

‘normalcy’ of slavery

There is a societal issue my wife and I have been learning more about over the past couple years. This past week I had the opportunity to learn more about that issue and start some training towards the abolition of slavery. You might think I’m a couple hundred years behind on the times but in reality slavery is unfortunately, alive and well.

Modern day slavery is a global issue. It’s happening in America just as it is happening in India, Phillippines and Cambodia. Since I live in America this is where I want to focus this post. I’ve seen and heard some things that are mocking the plight of slaves around the world.

One such thing is found on a web site called The Onion which bills itself as America’s finest news source, tongue in cheek of course which only makes their indiscretion worse. The Onion has a T-shirt that states: My Friend Went to Thailand and All I Got Was This Lousy Prostitute. Complete disregard for the human condition and profitting from it. Most of us would read it and chuckle a little but the reality is there are millions of prostitutes around the world suffering abuse (both sexual, physical and emotional) and The Onion decides to pile on.

The other situation is from the TV show Glee. Last night I watched the second episode online and was shocked when the main character and his wife were looking at a new house and the real estate agent states matter of factly “This banner was made by Equadorian children.” The fact that this is spun as comedy is saddening to say the least. There are literally millions of children used as slave labor in brick kilns, cocoa bean and coffee plantations as well as labor for solid materials used here in the United States for our comfort.

Why share this information? Because there are more than 27 million slaves in the world today. Human beings held against their will in every country in the world (by the way the United States is the 3rd most targeted destination for traffickers and approx 15,000 humans are trafficked into the U.S. every year). The purpose ranges from labor to organs to sex. Trafficking is not a respecter of persons. Men, Women and children are abused daily in ALL of these categories.

Now you know. What will you do? Sons and daughters; husbands and wives; fathers and mothers disappear from the landscape every day. I understand you might be shocked and paralyzed. A feeling of hopelessness and ‘what can I do?’ I understand that. It has taken me two years of praying and asking God what I can do. Can I ask you to do one thing for me. Not really for me, but for the 27 million human beings held in slavery. I want you to contact The Onion and make sure they know your feelings on their poorly played attempt at humor and profitting from the misfortune of others. Here is a link to their contact page. (it will open in a new window) They have offices all over the United States. Contact all of them. Also, contact Fox and let them know their writers are out of line.

These are just small steps you can take. In the United States a war was fought to abolish slavery in this country. It only caused human traffickers to go ‘underground’ with their operations.

I don’t want my daughters or your children growing up in a country where the mockery of other humans is used for profit. I want to see an end to slavery around the world. I want to see governments get serious about shutting down the sex tourism cities, the pornography industry, child labor and any other form of slavery. That’s what I want. I’m willing to work to see that happens.

What to build a life on?

I watched a news conference with Rick Pitino this morning. If you don’t know who Rick Pitino is: he is the head basketball coach for the University of Louisville. He is prominent in his profession and has been successful in winning wherever he has been.

Here’s the situation Rick finds himself. Over a year ago Rick Pitino made the choice to have sex with a woman. Did I mention he was married and the woman he had sex with was not his wife? He did this more than one time and was even brazen enough to do it in the bathroom of a restaurant. Time passed and the woman blackmailed Rick demanding money. He said no to her demands and she claimed he raped her.

Fast forward to the past couple days. The media has reported on the story in very brash terms naming people places and dates. The news conference saw Rick lashing out at reporters for, well, reporting on the news of the case. Where Rick was coming from was a place of being beside himself because of what he described as his family going through ‘pure hell’ the past few months. This ‘pure hell’ escalated over the past couple days as the case received more airtime.

What I don’t understand is why Rick is trying to blame others for the emotional condition of his family. IF Rick would have kept his pants zipped his family would probably not be in the emotional state it is currently.

What has the world come to when a man can have sex with a woman who is not his wife, be blackmailed, accused of rape and then blame the media for the condition his family finds itself?

Rick, how is this anyone else’s fault but your own?

For the rest of us this should serve notice to take responsibility for our choices. If we have a moral, ethical or spiritual failure (all three of which are sin) there are consequences. For those of us who claim to follow Christ there is forgiveness of sin. That is something to build a life on.

Is happiness the end goal in life?

If you’ve read my through many of my blog posts you probably have noticed a theme. I like to look at two topics; positions or words that may seem to be the same but could be vastly different. Today is no different. I hear a lot of people talk about happiness as though it was the utlimate goal in life. And while that might be what people really truly want, they are not going to find it. Maybe it’s splitting hairs and I am being presumptive but happiness is not what you are looking for. Nor is happiness what your friends, family, coworkers or neighbors are searching out in life.

Happiness as defined by webster is a : a state of well-being and contentment; b : a pleasurable or satisfying experience.

Happiness is temporary, fleeting, passing, fading, short-termed etc. It is not something that lasts beyond the moment we are in. It is an emotion and for us as humans emotions betray us. We are ecstatic one moment and in ‘the dumps’ a few minutes later. We truly are fickle beings.

Really, happiness feeds our ego. Happiness is ripe with selfishness. Not always, but most of the time. If you stop to think about the emotion of happiness it is always dictated by our perception of what is going on. If we approve we are happy. If we disapprove or are disappointed by an outcome we have other emotions.

Happiness is strictly based on the experience of the moment and if we choose to live only in the moment, by the moment then our life will be a Jeckyll & Hyde existence. Up and down.

As humans we need something more to anchor our life to. We need something that goes beyond the emotions of the here and now. When a friend or loved one passes away we aren’t happy. When our favorite sports team loses we are not happy. And if we live for happiness we will be disappointed much of life.

Where does this leave us? For me I’ve tried to live my life with joy. Unfortunately joy and happiness tend to be used synonymously. But joy is much different. Joy is: a source or cause of delight (webster).

Joy comes from something beyond ourselves. Joy comes from knowing whether the day is good or bad (basis of happiness) we can live a life full. Joy comes from knowing a Truth that goes beyond ourselves, it is a basis for life.

For me joy comes from my Lord Jesus Christ. I hold Jesus to be Truth. I believe he is the source of my joy. Knowing that my life is grounded in something or I should say someone other than myself, who I believe created me is knowing that my life has greater purpose. I am not bound to the everday happenings of the world. I don’t have to live on the wave of emotion looking for the next ‘it’ that will bring me happiness. Why because I believe in someone greater than myself.

You might be saying to yourself “I have belief in someone other than yourself (government, spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, family etc).”

Here’s the problem: All of these are human and will let you down. There is not one human being alive today that will always choose right. There is not one organization or government that is reliable every day. Only a belief in God can bring the stability of true joy.

Does that mean I can’t experience happiness? No. I still experience the ups and downs of life BUT it doesn’t affect me in the long term. I am happy when my four year old learns to write a new letter of the alphabet. I am happy that my nine year old daughter finally rode her big bike and liked it. I was sad when our bunny rabbit was accidentaly crushed and killed. I was sad to hear that a woman had jumped off the I5 bridge last night. But none of these guide my life. Because I choose to live out of the joy Jesus Christ gives rather than the emotion of the day.

a new leprosy?

I recently read Shane Claiborne’s book The Irresistable Revolution. In his book he describes his time working with Mother Theresa in Calcutta. One of the areas he worked in specifically was the leper colony. Leprosy is a skin disease usually equated with outcasts of long ago civilizations. In reality it is very real today in mostly impoverished countries.

But, as Claiborne asserts, maybe there is a new leprosy among us. You see leprosy causes numbness of the skin and while leprosy is not prevalent (if it exists at all) in the United States as a physical malady, maybe it exists in another form. With the wealth this nation has it is easy to become numb in many other areas as Claiborne notes: “people who had forgotten how to feel, to laugh, to cry, a land haunted by numbness.”

Is this true? Are there people who have forgotten how to show emotion or empathy? Read any newspaper from across the country and you’ll find it to be true. Headlines of violent crimes that make no sense. Headlines of students attacking other students because of clothing or jewelry. Headlines of lavish wealth near abject poverty. These are not uncommon headlines. I realize these are extreme cases and not everyone is like this…or are we? In the instant gratification and wealthy society we have created it has become apparent we only care about one person; ourselves.

We have become numb to the plight of others around the world, around the U.S., around the state and around the corner. From the rape epidemic in the Congo to the people living in their cars in your neighborhood; it is apparent we don’t seem to care about others unless we are inconvenienced or it has to do with our spending power.

As the world shrinks through technology we become more aware of what is going on around the globe and across the street. The problem comes when we don’t care enough to do anything about it. Sure we might write a check and put it in the mail monthly or drop our spare change in the red buckets around Christmas time. If we have a little extra money we can buy a toy and drop it off somewhere so we don’t have to be bothered with delivering the gift(s) to the home ourselves or finding out what could truly be of use for the family. This makes us feel good. Keep everything at a distance – emotionally and physically.

We don’t feel anymore. We don’t really understand what hard times are. It’s true we are in an economically hard time right now but deciding whether to buy generic brand groceries and eat out a couple times that month or name brand food and not eat out does not constitute hard times! Deciding between premium gasoline or regular does not mean times are hard.

Unfortunately there is a cure for this disease. The cure is Jesus Christ. Follow him, desire what he desires and you feel emotion like you never thought possible. You see people in a whole new light. Your heart breaks over the family getting out of a van because they have no home. Compassion for a young man or woman with a furrowed brow trying to make it through the day when home life sucks. Pity for the person stumbling out of a liquor store attempting to drown his past.

This is what the numbness keeps us from and Jesus can cure the anesthetization of our souls. Jesus charged the church with spreading the cure, to become a disciple of Jesus Christ. The problem is the church is full of people sick with the new leprosy too and they don’t realize they have it.

The church is full of people who claim to follow one hour a week to live fully for Jesus but pass homeless people after leaving church without giving them a second thought. Christians say they want their hearts to break for the marginalized in society and build a mission trip one week a year to help the homeless and the hungry (which is better than nothing; I just wish it was more of a lifestyle than a church program).

It has to break the heart of Jesus to know that we think he died so we can live privileged lives while so many are on the streets hungry, cold, on the fringes of society. That’s where the church was formed but that’s not where it’s at today…unless it’s a mission trip.

Instead of going on a mission trip, live the mission 51 weeks a year and take a week of vacation. I mean it. What if you Jesus really meant for Christians to look for an opportunity to feed someone outside our family on a weekly basis or better yet, twice a week? What if Jesus really wanted you to spend time caring for the sick, personally. What if Jesus really meant for us to care for orphans (yes they still exist in the United States. You can adopt any one of many children without a permanent home) and widows (probably on your street or inside the church where you sit an hour a week). What if the church quit fleeing to the suburbs to hide and started moving to the fringe parts of society? What if Christians realized that living like Jesus was their job, your occupation happens to be the mission field and your paycheck are resources you are trusted to give away?

What if Christians realized there is a new leprosy and we are the infected?

Emotional attachment

I don’t normally post two days in a row but I felt it was necessary. You see our pet rabbit, Tickle died today just 11 months in to his life. It was a freak accident causing his spine to break. That’s not what this post is all about though. This is about the emotional attachment we have with our pets.

I believe having pets is a fun and exciting part of the family, but what happens whent that pet dies? Do you just toss the animal/family member out into the garbage or is there a part of us that doesn’t want to do that even though it just makes sense. Sure we love our pets. Is there a point at which we become too attached? I believe there is. So what makes a good balance – realizing a pet is not human, but still a special part of the family?

Pets give us a glimpse of unbridled joy, like when you were a kid and Christmas morning came and you opened the present and ditched the toy for the box and played, giggled and imagined for hours. Pets are like that. It’s Christmas morning every day. They’re excited you’re alive and are sure the desire of your life is to play with them non-stop. This is why we tend to get a pet. We want the exhuberance of life that seems to be stolen from us when we reach the age of more responsibility than free time.

Pets also teach us about the other side of life. They teach us how to mourn. Pets (dogs especially) have an uncanny ability to sense emotion. When you’re happy – they’re happy. When you’re sad – they are sad with you. They don’t understand why you might be sad, but they know your emotion and animals tend to run on emotion. It’s ok to be sad around your pet because they will love and comfort unconditionally.

I believe that’s why when we lose a pet we have such a strong emotional bond. Our pet understands us deeper and more unconditionally than we think any other human could. They have listened, cried, laughed and run with us. We have shared life with another living being. I’m not here to humanize pets but for anyone who has had a pet for any length of time will understand what I’m talking about.

That must be the reason I’m having a hard time with losing a rabbit. Maybe it would be different if he had been old like Shae our Rottweiler who passed a few years back. She was approaching 11 years of age, had cancer and had lived a life full. She had chased rabbits in Kansas, Moose in Alaska and hiked countless miles through wilderness with me. But her time had come. I didn’t want her to go. I went so far as to carry her 70lbs outside 2-3 times per day so she could go to the bathroom because she couldn’t walk out on her own.

Unhealthy attachment? I don’t think so. I see it as an opportunity to give back some unconditional love to a girl who never let me down. An opportunity to realize the world doesn’t revolve around me. An opportunity to glimpse what it could be like to care for my parents, wife and/or children. To do something beyond me and love unconditionally. After all we were created to love unconditionally, too often it takes our pets to realize that.

Briquettes and Christians

At church the last two weeks we have been studying Daniel 3. The story of Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego. The boys who wouldn’t do what the king told them to do. For their disobedience they were thrown in to a furnace that was used to smelt ore.

Lo and behold the boys did not burn up. Not only that but there was  a fourth person who looked like a ‘son of the gods.’ They were in the furnace walking around and I would imagine having a good time. After all they weren’t just sitting around. They were up and walking around. When I’m walking around in a room it is usually because I’m having a good time, like at a party when you need to refill your plate with chips and salsa.

Anyway, this whole situation got me thinking about grilling hamburgers which I had for dinner tonight. Thanks Ben! They were great! Now, I tend to use a gas grill when at home as do most people, but occassionally I use briquettes. Briquettes and the story of the fiery furnace have a lot in common. You see, the boys stuck together, and not only did they stick together but they made sure to stay true to the Truth of God’s Word – Do not bow to anyone/anything other than Me; says God. The boys remembered this and because of this were thrown into the furnace.

So how is that like a grouping of briquettes? Briquettes are interesting because when they are together they get hotter than if they were by themselves. In fact most people know that when you want to cool the grill or put it out you first spread the briquettes. When they are seperated they tend to cool off and go out. They become useless for their intended purpose. Their purpose is to glow red hot. Their purpose has a lot to do with staying together, being as close together as possible; just like the boys.

They stayed true to God’s Word. They stayed with Truth. They stayed together in community. They had accountability with one another from the time they were brought to Babylon about 605 BC. That togetherness, that community they had with each other helped them to stand together for the Truth of God. Their togetherness allowed them to accomplish a purpose that was far beyond anything they could have done as an individual. I wonder if they would have been able to stand against the greatest king of the day and all they governors, prefects, soldiers etc. if they were isolated.

We live in a world that celebrates individualism. We live in a world that tries to sell isolation as a badge of honor. But that’s not how we are supposed to be. We were created like briquettes – for the purpose of living in community with one another and with God. When we as Christians are isolated it is easy for us to find ‘better things to do’ than attend church (Church is not just the institution of a one hour service weekly, but rather a gathering of a group of believers with the purpose of worshipping Jesus Christ, study of The Bible and prayer together. I should write on this soon). We find reasons to skip or miss and slowly we become isolated from the group of believers and lose the source that holds ‘briquettes’ together – Jesus.

God created you and me to live in community with him and one another. An accountability that holds us together to stand strong in the face of anything that seeks to destry the Kingdom of Love, Grace and Mercy. God created us like briquettes – our purpose is fulfilled when we are together and that purpose is sharing God’s unconditional love with everyone we come in contact with.