My daughter was born with my brain. It refuses to let go of things as well as analyzes and photo-copies things to near perfection. If that sounds like bragging, believe me, it's more of a curse than a blessing at times.
The other night I was so proud of her as she wanted to respond to an altar call on her own. She told mom she wanted to go pray. I accompanied her, and when we knelt asked her what she wanted to pray about. She said she wanted to pray for Nanny and Papa and Grandma. I asked her why and she said, "cause Grandma's really old". Although funny on the outset, i marveled at her ability to relate old age and frailty to the need of prayer. Often, we as mature adults grow tired and weary at what we feel is overexposure to simple need, but as a child, she knew it as the initial response. Out of the mouths of babes...
There was something else that broke my heart as she prayed. I marvel again because the following was a part of her "freestyle" prayer that I allowed to her to quote. She prayed at the end, "and I pray that mommy and daddy never grow old." Where did that come from? Here is what I learn from Sophie's prayer:
1) Our built-in dependency. Sophie understands at her young age that if mommy and daddy grow old she will begin to lose us. Maybe i look to far into it, but why even bring old age up? Although she sees herself locked in 5-year old time, it is that time locj that is teaching her that she cant live without us. We are locked in time. We are locked in time and space that often abuses us and cramps our ability to grow. But instead of complaining about the time crunch, we should let it teach us the lesson it has already taught my daughter, we need God.
2) The hope of eternity. I began to think of how Sophie's prayer has really already been answered. Through Christ, we never really grow old. I will never forget this version of John 3:16 i read in the CEV Bible so long ago:
"God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die."
The former lesson had more to do with what Sophie knew that often look over. This second lesson has more to do with what i hope she learns, that she hasn't yet. God made us eternal in the beginning, and desires we return to that state. He has made that possible.
Sophie's prayer is a challenge to me and I thank her for it. She is perfect in more ways than one and in all the teachers I have ever listened to, her and my son continue to teach me the most. Thank you God for my children.
05 January 2011
Sin Classic
Tonight in our Youth Series I am speaking on Laziness, and my mind keeps circling one single question: Am i making the best use of my time?
My thoughts run at random and seem rather unconnected as i muse tonight's topic. I find myself now thinking about sin, even more of what I like to call the classic sins. I am speaking of the one's the church has held over the head's of its people for many years now, namely drugs, sex, rock and roll, and gambling. We love speaking of these things, and being realistic, probably because as ministers we battle them ourself in one form or another.
This world is being eat alive by these even as we speak. While some in the emergent church movement tends to spend times addressing social sin, those of a traditonal flavor tend to lurk in the areas mentioned above still today. Oddly enough, some in both realms embrace the sins the other speaks out against. While the traditonalist cares less about global warming and environtmental care, the new movements are embracing social drinking, Hollywood, and gambling as past times. Each points their finger at the other and name brand with words like bigoted fundamentalist and liberal socialist. But as I muse the topic tonight and search the scriptures, i believe there to be question that could keep either classification from embracing anything harmful, whether it be personally or socially. That question is: Am I making the best use of my time? Consider the words of James in chapter 4:13-17:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Whatever you may brand yourself (Christian, Disciple, Christ-Follower or whatever new-fangled name you find to tell us what you don't identify with) the call remains the same. That call is to make wise use of all of our time. Fact is, there is so much to do for the Christian that the standard person may not ever consider. I am not going to get into the argument with any whether the little things we may do are right or wrong. It's not the venue. I think if we do, we may prevent some hazards, but we will miss the overall point of being set free. Not to mention, the person seeking true wisdom will be guided into all truth. Our freedom is to bring freedom to others. And we will never do that as time wasters.
So I ask, "What are you doing today?" Could sin, in it's most classic form, not be so much doing wrong things, but not doing right things we are called to? Call it circular logic. but i think it's worth a thought.
My thoughts run at random and seem rather unconnected as i muse tonight's topic. I find myself now thinking about sin, even more of what I like to call the classic sins. I am speaking of the one's the church has held over the head's of its people for many years now, namely drugs, sex, rock and roll, and gambling. We love speaking of these things, and being realistic, probably because as ministers we battle them ourself in one form or another.
This world is being eat alive by these even as we speak. While some in the emergent church movement tends to spend times addressing social sin, those of a traditonal flavor tend to lurk in the areas mentioned above still today. Oddly enough, some in both realms embrace the sins the other speaks out against. While the traditonalist cares less about global warming and environtmental care, the new movements are embracing social drinking, Hollywood, and gambling as past times. Each points their finger at the other and name brand with words like bigoted fundamentalist and liberal socialist. But as I muse the topic tonight and search the scriptures, i believe there to be question that could keep either classification from embracing anything harmful, whether it be personally or socially. That question is: Am I making the best use of my time? Consider the words of James in chapter 4:13-17:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Whatever you may brand yourself (Christian, Disciple, Christ-Follower or whatever new-fangled name you find to tell us what you don't identify with) the call remains the same. That call is to make wise use of all of our time. Fact is, there is so much to do for the Christian that the standard person may not ever consider. I am not going to get into the argument with any whether the little things we may do are right or wrong. It's not the venue. I think if we do, we may prevent some hazards, but we will miss the overall point of being set free. Not to mention, the person seeking true wisdom will be guided into all truth. Our freedom is to bring freedom to others. And we will never do that as time wasters.
So I ask, "What are you doing today?" Could sin, in it's most classic form, not be so much doing wrong things, but not doing right things we are called to? Call it circular logic. but i think it's worth a thought.
Rights and Priveliges
I am ever being awakened to the differences between American and global views of chrisitanity. I hope that never changes.
Today I was so encouraged by the book of Hebrews as I was reading. Hebrews is just a wonderful book that so elegantly lays the foundation of Christ and all that He is. I encourage to read this book if you haven't in a while.
I was particulary enlightened and enouraged as I read in chapter 9:11-12, "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come...he entered once and for all into the holy places but by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing eternal redemption." Wow! I began to muse on that which led me into the thought of what a privilege it is to be connected with God because (and only because) of what Christ did. I know that this is an already visited thought in principle, but too often we treat it like a right more than a priviliege. I have heard preachers say that the holy of holies was opened for us when the temple veil was torn. I don't think that's completely accurate in the sense that it is now open for business, as if we can enter to go in and out whenever we want. The scripture says that Christ entered it, which means he became our high priest. Our access to that sacred holy place, that place that struck fear into to the commoner in the Old Testamant, is still contingent upon the entrance of the priest on our behalf, and we only enter as a privilege because of what He has done. Thanks be to God for giving us such a great salvation, and shame be to us if we negelct to identify with Christ who made it, and still makes it possible (Hebrews 2:1-4 restated).
Sunday I am preaching on spiritual disciplines, and I began to record some of these thoughts in my preparation. When you speak of disciplines everyone gets that ill-feeling in their stomachs, like"God here we go again". That is largely in part of failing to see it all as a privilege. You see as of late, it has been treated as our right to do with God as we please. We will study him, pray to him, meditate on him just so long as he doesn't interfere with our other rights. But no, we have forgotten, that b/c of Christ, we have the privilege of God hearing us, gaining knoweldge of Him, and allowing our minds to be changed by Him. I never had the right, never will. Relationship with God has been made my priviliege, thanks be to him for all He has done.
Today I was so encouraged by the book of Hebrews as I was reading. Hebrews is just a wonderful book that so elegantly lays the foundation of Christ and all that He is. I encourage to read this book if you haven't in a while.
I was particulary enlightened and enouraged as I read in chapter 9:11-12, "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come...he entered once and for all into the holy places but by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing eternal redemption." Wow! I began to muse on that which led me into the thought of what a privilege it is to be connected with God because (and only because) of what Christ did. I know that this is an already visited thought in principle, but too often we treat it like a right more than a priviliege. I have heard preachers say that the holy of holies was opened for us when the temple veil was torn. I don't think that's completely accurate in the sense that it is now open for business, as if we can enter to go in and out whenever we want. The scripture says that Christ entered it, which means he became our high priest. Our access to that sacred holy place, that place that struck fear into to the commoner in the Old Testamant, is still contingent upon the entrance of the priest on our behalf, and we only enter as a privilege because of what He has done. Thanks be to God for giving us such a great salvation, and shame be to us if we negelct to identify with Christ who made it, and still makes it possible (Hebrews 2:1-4 restated).
Sunday I am preaching on spiritual disciplines, and I began to record some of these thoughts in my preparation. When you speak of disciplines everyone gets that ill-feeling in their stomachs, like"God here we go again". That is largely in part of failing to see it all as a privilege. You see as of late, it has been treated as our right to do with God as we please. We will study him, pray to him, meditate on him just so long as he doesn't interfere with our other rights. But no, we have forgotten, that b/c of Christ, we have the privilege of God hearing us, gaining knoweldge of Him, and allowing our minds to be changed by Him. I never had the right, never will. Relationship with God has been made my priviliege, thanks be to him for all He has done.
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