Rewind: Week Seven

Another successful week down. I have eight days remaining in my internship and then it's back to Texas! People have been asking me a lot lately if I am ready to come home and I have been thinking about that. The answer is yes, I am ready to come home, but it is not because I am sick of Omaha or missing Texas too much. Instead, it is because I feel very satisfied that my time here has been incredibly productive and I have a healthy excitement about bringing that back with me. And that is a cool feeling.

Overall, this week wasn't too bad. I had a tough couple of days landscaping on Wednesday and Thursday. The last day, I spent the entire 8-5 mowing out in the blazing sun and got moderately dehydrated. I still don't feel 100% back together from that yet, but this weekend has been full of resting and I am thankful that I had the opportunity for that. This morning, Bob continued his sermon series on The Church. Today's message was about church discipline. He began by making the point that as a culture, we have a simplistic view of sin. We see it as something that requires external action and that it is always visible rather than something that is bent within our soul. Our culture wants to think that we are born innocent and learn bad things from the circumstances surrounding us. Bob posed this example as a point against that theory: we never have to teach our kids how to be bad. They already know how to do that. The effort is put into teaching them how to behave and act according to the Gospel. We are not born innocent like our culture wants us to believe. And the Bible confirms this (Ephesians 2:3; Psalm 51:5). Again, we see an example of how the Gospel is a contrarian to the voice of the world in which we live.

Hebrews 3:12-13 tells us that sin is deceitful and that it can harden our hearts. On this note, Bob suggested that we should not be offended by confrontation from others about our sins because sometimes they may not even be visible to us. He then transitioned to his sermon text, Matthew 18:15-17, in order to illustrate how we as Christians are to approach church discipline by means of the Gospel.
Step 1 - Approach your "brother" in private (vs. 15) remembering that Galatians 6:1 calls us to restore our brother gently.
Step 2 - Have conversation again with two or three spiritually wise people as witnesses (vs. 16). Because, as Proverbs 18:17 promises, there are always two sides to every story.
Step 3 - Take the issue to the church (vs. 17) and by church, this means the members and the elders of the church.
Step 4 - If they do not respond to any of these efforts, we are called to treat them as Gentiles or tax collectors (vs. 17). This does not mean we cast them out or ignore them because the final goal in the Galatians passage is restoration. Rather, what is meant is that we treat them as non-Christians. Those who believe in Christ are new creations and their actions should reflect that. Christians repent of sin. They do not ignore it. By becoming a Christian, our conduct thereafter reflects Jesus and not us. Therefore, by living in unrepentant sin, we say that Christ, his death on the cross, and the Gospel are in line with and approve of unrepentant sin.

This passage from Matthew makes it clear that church discipline is meant to be relational. Not simply an accusation that expects repentance, but a joint pursuit of restoration. Because sin is deceptive, we are not always totally aware of our sins. We need biblical community and we need to welcome confrontation and discipline. We should never be ashamed or filled with guilt because of our sins because it is by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and not by our own works that God smiles upon us. Everything was taken care of on the cross. Our job is to embrace that.

Before I end, I have to make note of a very significant point. At the beginning of the summer, I was given a very important responsibility by the church staff that was my top priority for the entire time I was here: build a pulley for the missional community leader party that happened last night which would allow beer to be raised to the balcony where the hamburgers were being grilled by the cook. To be honest, I never took this idea seriously. It sounded a little ridiculous to me. But in the end, it happened. Last night, Kendal and I successfully pieced together a pulley that not only raised beer to the balcony, but also allowed food to be lowered down to the hungry attendees. It got a solid two hours of use by everyone. And the kids there loved it. Below is a video interview by Kendal of me and Lane Freemyer (the brownie guy from my last entry) in which I am given an official Coram Deo letter grade for my efforts. And for all it's worth, in hindsight I am glad that I fulfilled my duty. It turned out to be really funny to watch everyone using it.

Oh, and I made my first mark in my new Bible today. It was a difficult decision because it was so clean and crisp. But it had to be done...I highlighted my favorite verse: Isaiah 49:16.

Sweet and Sorrow

Though I still have twelve days to spend here in Omaha before my summer comes to an official close, last night gave me my first taste of the finality of my time here. Will Walker, the associate pastor, is leaving tomorrow morning for Dallas and a few other areas of Texas where he will be for the next couple of weeks. So last night was the last chance I had to spend time with him this summer. A few of us guys got together over at his house and sat out in the driveway talking away the time. I feel very fortunate to have spent the time with Will that I did this summer. He has helped me to learn some of the most profound lessons of my summer and has been a visible example of the importance of digging into the Gospel. He has challenged me in a lot of ways and I feel like our time together was invaluable. It's never fun to say goodbye, but he and I are both going to end up in the same place one day. Whether that is in this life or the next, it's not for me to say. I will be in contact with him in the next couple of weeks though because he has assigned me to an exhaustive study of the book of Colossians, which has been awesome so far.

Yesterday also turned out to be a prime example of the antics that occur in the Coram Deo office. There are certain days of the week which exist under certain terms with everyone at the office. Monday is not complete if it's not Chips and Salsa Monday. Just as Tuesday only exists as Baked Goods Tuesday. And somehow, for some reason, random members of the church come by throughout the day and bring us muffins, cookies, apple enchiladas, etc. However, this time around was a first for us all. A guy who drops by often decided to make three different brownie recipes and bring them into the office in order for us to all have a taste test that would determine which one is the best. In theory, this sounds simple. But it took us nearly an hour to properly identify and debate our thoughts on the taste, texture, and tastiness of each batch of brownies. I had absolutely no complaints though. Brownies are by far my favorite homemade dessert. And I don't do sweets often, but this was a day of days. We never eat breakfast on Baked Goods Tuesday. And despite times of serious doubt and worry, God always provides for us in the form of sweet baked delights.

I had a guy ask me the other day, "What has been the weirdest thing for you about coming to Omaha?" At the time, nothing necessarily struck me as being weird or out of place. But in hindsight, I have picked up on a couple of things which I believe to be worth noting. Especially for those of you who have never been to Nebraska. It may or may not give you motivation for a visit. First of all, nobody refers to a carbonated beverage as a "soda." Rather, it is called a "pop." No matter how many times I hear the term being used, it never quite clicks for me. I always have to double take at someone when they ask me,
"Would you like a pop?"
"Um, no...OH! A soda..."
Secondly, there is no TEX MEX IN OMAHA. Instead, they have some wildly unsuccessful concoction called West Mex. I can tell you that one of the most exciting things for me about getting back to Texas is that I am going to gorge myself at my favorite Tex Mex locations and thank the Lord for blessing Texas so richly with the ability to make far superior Mexican food than even Mexico itself.

The last observation I have made about Omaha is that people here are obsessed with personalized license plates. I don't know who decided to introduce those to Nebraskans, but they are making a killing. If you don't believe me, here is my proof: I was working on a landscaping job today and got into a conversation about this with one of my co-workers. We decided to test my observation on the ride back to the shop from the job site. During this said ride, which lasted twenty-five minutes, we saw sixteen personalized license plates. 16 plates in 25 minutes. That's basically 1 and 1/2 every single minute. I don't know what is going on with those plates, but they certainly seem appealing for some reason. Maybe somebody tied balloons to them or something...

I do have something theologically relevant to write about though. Don't you worry! I listened to a sermon earlier this week by Dr. Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan discussing the legitimacy of the Bible. The deeper I dig into my faith, the more I am realizing that this is a question that people talk about constantly back in Austin. Students always try to invalidate the entire legitimacy of the Bible because they have not seen any physical evidence of Noah's ark, because it was written by men, or because there is just no way that Jesus really was God. Of course, that is all speculation, but I am finding that even though I don't agree with those arguments I do not have an answer for them. Keller's audience has consistently been full of skeptics so I consider him quite an expert on any apologetic issues. His sermon challenged that you can believe in the legitimacy of the Bible in three different ways: historically, culturally, and personally.

His three points historically were that:
1 - The New Testament was written too early to simply be a legend. The opening statements of Luke claimed that he consulted eyewitness of Jesus in order that his gospel be true and believe with confidence. Similarly, Paul's letters began only 15-20 years after the death of Christ and he also cites his interaction with eyewitnesses to in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
2 - The New Testament is too counter-productive to be a legend. Because if the leaders of the church simply wrote a fiction about the life and death of Jesus, they certainly would have made him look better. They would have taken out the part where he cries out to his Father asking why he has forsaken him. Also, they would have made themselves look better. The religious leaders in the Bible are CONSTANTLY being verbally thrashed by Christ and are made to look like legalistic fools time and time again. And last of all, they would have taken out the account of Jesus' resurrection as having been first discovered by women, who were not even considered for valid testimony in court at the time, instead of men.
3 - The New Testament is too detailed to be a legend. This was C.S. Lewis' problem. There was no such thing as our modern fiction novel back then which makes things seem very realistic and current with cultural reality. Fiction of the time was something like Beowulf which was easy and simple to simply relegate to the genre of fiction. But that legend alone is drastically different from the Gospel. And no fiction of that time begins in the same way as the gospel of Luke.

His three points on believing culturally were:
1 - Consider that when you are reading the Bible and it says something you don't like that in fact you are not comprehending its teaching as something it is really teaching. For example, we read through the Old Testament and see polygamy acted upon over and over again without God ever intervening or laying down a law to kill those men. And therefore we think God must think polygamy is okay and we are offended by this fact. But a closer reading says something different. Genesis overturns these traditions consistently as it wreaks havoc on the families thereafter. Abraham, Gideon, David, and Solomon are all underscored examples of this. Similarly, the ancient patriarchal traditions are overturned as well. God consistently chooses the younger son over the older one.
2 - Consider that you are misunderstanding what it is teaching because of your cultural blinders. For example, many people today think that the Bible condones slavery when in fact it does not. Our idea of slavery stems from that of our own country's historical stigma. Whereas slavery in biblical times was more like that of indentured servitude. The book of Philemon is an example of this.
3 - Consider the unexamined assumption of the superiority of your cultural moment. If you react to something as being archaic, outdated, and lacking progress culturally, what in the world gives you the right to assume that your culture is right in everything it does? For example, individualistic societies, like our own, love scripture about forgiveness but struggle with restraints on sex. But if you take those same two things to the Middle East, the restrictions on sex will probably not be strict enough and the idea of forgiveness will seem absurd. Why should your cultural sensibilities trump everyone elses? Similarly, if the Bible is truly the divinely inspired word of God who exists in perfection outside of any society, shouldn't it gain credibility by the fact that every culture across the world has issues with Scripture in some form or manner?

Lastly, he tackled it personally:
1 - In Luke 24:25-27, Jesus points out to these men that they are misinterpreting the Bible. The reason for their misunderstanding is that they are believing the Scripture to be about them and not about Jesus. It is all about Jesus, not us. God did not come to Moses because he was a good man. He did it to express his grace in humanity. Stop reading the Bible like it is about you (like a lecture) and start reading it like it is about Christ (like a sermon).
2 - It is all-authoritative. Therefore, there will be conflict. In a personal relationship, there has to be conflict for it to be healthy. Without this element with God, he is basically a "Stepford God" who does whatever we ask and has no authority. Jesus had the greatest relationship with God and he submitted to Scripture fully as God and man.

I thought the sermon was fantastic. He spoke about the New Testament most of the time, but said this same line of argument could be used to give credibility to all of the Old Testament as well not only because of New Testament references, but because Jesus himself quoted, believed, and lived out the Old Testament with every bit of his life.

Sorry for the long post. And I'm sorry if I offended any Nebraskans. I enjoyed this post!!

"When I was a child, my mother said to me, 'If you become a soldier, you'll be a general. If you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope.' Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."
- Pablo Picasso

Rewind: Week Six

I had the opportunity to travel to Chicago, thanks entirely to my father who booked a flight for me (THANKS!), and spend the weekend with Brittany. It was easily the best weekend I have had this summer. I have been to Chicago once before, but this past weekend revealed to me how truly awesome a city it is. I loved it. But more than anything, it was a time of Brittany sharing with me everything she has been doing this summer. And that was special for both of us.

My flight arrived in Chicago around 10:00 Friday morning. Brittany picked me up and from there we drove to the University of Chicago campus in order to see the lab where she has been working and to meet some of the other students employed there. But first, we made a stop at a nearby coffee shop. I believe the name was Medici Bakery. And I have to say, there I purchased the best cold brew coffee I have ever had. Plus, according to every single staff shirt, President Obama has eaten there at least once. What more can you ask for in a bakery? We then walked over to the University of Chicago where Brittany showed me around the campus. It was beautiful. Almost every building was covered in ivy and looked like something straight out of the movies. I got to see the office where Brittany works and met a few of her colleagues there. After that, we picked up some sandwiches at a nearby deli and went down to the lake shore nearby where we had a great view of the city while eating next to the water. I was a little bit of a party pooper Friday though because I had a bad headache due, more than likely, to the fact that I had slept an average of four and a half hours the previous three nights. So we spent most of the day resting at the house and then finished the night at an excellent italian restaurant in downtown Wheaton.

On Saturday, we got an early start and ate breakfast at a little cafe also located in Wheaton. The food was great and they even had strawberry orange juice. Delicious. After breakfast, we hopped on the train and went to downtown Chicago. It was beautiful. I had no idea how much I would like being in the midst of that city. Our first destination was Millennium Park which was sweet. There was this big, strange, shiny thing that captivates all of humanity in visual proximity called The Bean. It was beautiful outside so walking around was not uncomfortable in the least. Next up, we went to the Art Institute of Chicago. It was not a planned stop on our itinerary, but both of us ended up being very glad that we checked it out. They have some beautiful paintings there, including my favorite of all. We saw Van Goghs, Monets, Cezannes, and Picassos. It is a great museum.

One of the best moments of the day came later that evening. Brittany has been raving about this pizza place in Chicago known for its deep dish pizza. It's called Giordano's. Being the skeptic I am and having been spoiled by the pizza in Rome, I naturally had my doubts. But this pizza was AMAZING. I cannot say it was better than Roman pizza, but it was easily second place and very healthy competition for the top spot on my favorites list. They will mail a pizza to your house if you are interested! The last stop of the day was Navy Pier. People were everywhere there and we did not get a chance to ride the ferris wheel because of the line. We would not have made it back to the train in time if we stuck around. But sitting on the water, staring at the Chicago skyline and watching boats drift around was the perfect end to the evening. It was beautiful there.

Also, I saw Juwan Howard walking on the sidewalk Saturday evening. Pretty cool.

Sunday, Brittany brought me to the church she has been attending since coming to Chicago. It is called Wheaton Bible Church. Our pastor back in Austin recommended it to her. I was very impressed. The pastor, Rob Bugh, was preaching on 1 Peter 4:12-19. And we did not hear a self-esteem gospel or a comfort gospel. We heard the Gospel. He made it plain that 1 Peter was not about how to live comfortably or stress-free, but how to endure trial and suffering. Because it is bound to enter into the life of a Christian. The sermon talked about Peter's strategy for us in suffering that says not to panic or be surprised by suffering (vs. 12), rejoice in it (vs. 13), do not be ashamed of Jesus (vs. 16), and in all things trust and obey him (vs. 19). Our strength in suffering does not come by our own means or efforts, but rather from God himself who carries us through our trials. I am very thankful that God placed Brittany in such close proximity to the church. She has been plugged into the Gospel and gotten to meet some really neat people during her time there this summer.

The flight home was a little rough. That is one huge drawback about traveling alone. Getting there is easy. But returning after having such a great trip with someone you really care about is difficult because all you can do is reflect. But it was worth it. We will be back in Austin soon enough.

In fact, I only have two more weeks to go! It is amazing how quickly time flies these days. I distinctly remember my parents telling me when I was younger that the older you get, the faster the moments go by. But being a child, naturally I did not listen to them. I find it hard to believe that I have already been in Omaha for six weeks, but when I look back at this blog and my journal I have packed in more learning and more growth than I ever expected to be granted before this all began. I love these weekly rewind entries because they allow me to reflect on the grace God has bestowed on me in the past week. However, my description of that grace can never simply be compartmentalized into the past week because it is generally tied to a greater internal heart change that the Lord is bringing to my life. The most profound learning experience I have had so far has been the process of receiving and experiencing the Gospel through the perspective of receiving gifts. The great part about the things God teaches us is that they are never one-sided. And I have loved seeing how God has used me in learning this aspect of the Gospel by sharing it with others.

This past weekend was a prime example. Since Brittany does not have a paid internship, she is on a very fixed budget this summer. The same goes for me, but certain financial circumstances allowed me to splurge on her this weekend and I was able to pay for some great meals and experiences for both of us that kept her from draining her bank account and allowed us to see more than we expected to see. For those of you who know me well, you know I am cheap. But I have been pressed on that a lot this summer. Because in reality, being cheap or storing up money does not do anything but make you comfortable. There is no eternal reward for having a full bank account. And as much as I have made myself believe that in the past, I found so much more comfort in spending money on Brittany and our memories in Chicago this weekend than I ever have before in simply putting it in my bank account. Granted, I like to be comfortable and I like to be safe. But there is no better feeling than putting a smile on her face over and over again like I was able to this past weekend. We receive gifts not to give them away, but to receive Christ more profoundly so that we might be better at giving to others.

That's about it for this week. I posted a bunch of pictures from Chicago on Facebook. You can view them in the album link below. Also, I am posting the video I took from the Sick Puppies show I went to last week. Thank you for your prayers for me over the summer. I have seen some amazing things happen in my life and I hope that they continue in the last two weeks I am here.

Until next time...

Chicago Photo Album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=96173&id=661918786&l=38befd0803

"The Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to the person whose life is not." – Charles H. Spurgeon

In The End All You Were Was a Pawn In The Show

I know you are all just waiting to hear what I think about the new Project 86 album, so here you go...I think it's AWESOME. I don't think the lyrics are nearly as deep as some of their previous albums, but it is still solid overall. The first song on the album is called Destroyer and I love it. Here are the lyrics:

Ready yourself for the end
Ready yourself cause you cannot pretend
Ready yourself for the late, for the great
The Destroyer’s surrounded and cannot defend

The lives that you thought that were yours to devour
Destroyer, the tables have turned in this hour
The plagues you unleashed, every vice that you fed
Shall be visited here tenfold on your head

Let go
Cause you know
In the end all you were was a pawn in the show

Witness the fear of the fiends
Open the floodgates, behold and believe
Witness the pain, let it rain on the beast
For the serpent is slain in a blaze of defeat

And the Sick Puppies show was sweet. I have a video that I will try to post on my next entry.

Luke 19:11-27 has been on my mind a lot for the past few days. I think it is a striking parable that, in my mind, makes plain what exactly is our responsibility as Christians. It also plays into the topic of God's sovereignty vs. man's works which I wrote about in my last post. The parable is an illustration of judgment day. The "man" or "nobleman" in the parable is Jesus himself who came to a "distant country," or earth, in order to "have himself appointed king" and then return. This is a picture of Christ's crucifixion through which he set his kingdom on earth, rose again three days later, and returned to heaven. And because the Gospel extends to our lives today, I believe that it is also a picture of conversion. Through his death, we enter into a relationship that allows us to spend eternity with him.

Verses 15-27 concern the return of Christ and his judgment in light of verse 13 which signifies the Great Commission, our calling to make a spiritual profit with the tools God has given to us in his grace. The first two servants of the passage present themselves before the Lord having invested wisely by making a profit for the King with the materials he left them. In response, he gives them authority in his kingdom. In verse 20, the mood shifts to the unfaithful servant. He has accepted the gift of salvation and done nothing but sit on it. And then he makes a shallow excuse for his actions by claiming his fear of God's wrath as the reason for his lack of movement. Christ's response is a condemnation of him in light of his own words. For if he had truly been afraid of the wrath of God, he would have at least placed his gift of life in a place that would have drawn interest for the King's return.

What the parable implies is that there is more to a relationship with Christ than simply asking him into our hearts. There is an element of works that we are called to fulfill. When we become believes, our perspective towards our possessions should change. We should realize that everything we have is a gift from God as evidence of his grace. Our money, our food, our education, our job, and our friends and family should be evidence in our lives of God's glory. They are not to be things by which we grow amused, entertained, and complacent. Nor are they things by which we are to pursue personal and worldly profit. But rather, they are things by which we pursue a spiritual profit in our own lives by pursuing Christ and in the lives of others by sharing that pursuit with them. The first two servants of this parable did not invest their gifts and make a profit for themselves, but for Christ. The wicked servant never got past conversion. He never understood that being a Christian is the pursuing of a relationship. It is not an accomplishment in which we glory ourselves. The end of the parable says that those who have, in context meaning those who pursue spiritual profit, will be given more. Whereas those who have not, those who do not pursue spiritual profit, will have everything taken from them. And lastly, those who oppose the King will be slaughtered before him, or thrown into hell.

This is a picture of Christ's return and his judgment of our works in this life. The question we should be asking is this: Am I living out the Gospel and pursuing spiritual profit in such a way that on Judgment Day I might be considered a good servant? Or will I be found to be a wicked servant having done nothing but waste what was before me? This should create in us a drive to allow God to accomplish victory in and through our lives. Because we will be found lacking in righteousness when we stand before the Lord and give an account of our lives. But will we also be found disobedient? Being a Christian is not about being complacent. It is a pursuit. Not an accomplishment.

On Friday, I am going to visit Brittany in Chicago. I am really excited to go there and spend some time with her. It's going to be a great weekend. I am REALLY tired right now though and I have a full day of landscaping in the sun tomorrow. So pray for me to find some time to get some rest between now and Friday morning. Lastly, here is another C.S. Lewis quote from Surprised By Joy that I cannot get out of my mind. Simply amazing.

You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape? The words "compelle intrare," compel them to come in, have been so abused by wicked men that we shudder at them; but, properly understood, they plumb the depth of the Divine mercy. The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.
(Page 228-229, Brace & World Inc., New York)