Hungry

How do you read your Bible when you are doing devotions? Right now I’m reading the letters of Paul in chronological order. I’ve noticed, though, that I have a pre-determined way to read them; by chapter. Big chapter or small, I read a chapter at a time and stop.

We often view our Bible that way, by chapter and verse. We’ve been brought up to follow the breaks in the passages, breaks inserted by those who edited the Bible. We even preach that way, taking small passages rather than entire chapters or books. Eugene Peterson’s translation The Message broke through some of those barriers, yet for many it’s difficult to get past the structure of the Bible. And while that structure is helpful unfortunately that structure can sometimes get in the way of the Spirit speaking through the Bible.

I had an interesting conversation with an employee at my work last week. He had been looking a little tired, so I asked him if he was OK. He told me he had not been getting enough sleep lately, so I asked him why. He said, “it’s an interesting story if you have a minute.” I hate to pass up good stories, so I took a few minutes to listen.

“I was born and raised as a Catholic in the Dominican Republic. As children we were never allowed to have a Bible in the house. Only priests could have the Bible. The only time we heard the Bible read was at Mass.

"One summer I attended a Vacation Bible school offered by a Protestant organization and as part of that program they gave me a New Testament. I began to read it and couldn’t put it down. I had to hide it from my parents; we weren’t supposed to have Bibles in the house. I would wait until I went to bed, then pull the covers up and read the Bible underneath them. I knew if my parents found the Bible I would get punished and have it taken away from me.

"I couldn’t stop reading. I didn’t worry about chapters and verses, I was reading whole stories. I would start reading and sometimes would read through the whole night. By the time I was in eighth grade and I knew the entire New Testament, having read through it several times.

"Unfortunately, I wasn’t getting enough sleep and it was beginning to show at school. The teacher called my parents and they determined that there must be something mentally wrong with me, so they sent me to a psychologist. I knew then I would have to admit what was going on; I told the Dr. about my Bible-reading. Of course, he made me tell my parents.

From that time on I have had a voracious hunger to read God’s word. I don’t just read a few verses or chapters; I sit down and read whole books at a time. I don’t’ think people realize what a blessing it is to have the freedom to read your Bible anywhere, anytime.”

Our conversation made me wonder; how big is my appetite for the Word? If I’m honest with myself I have to admit, I fill myself up on other things and don’t leave room for the Word. I fool myself by thinking “it’s a Christian book with Bible quotes, that’s the same as reading the Bible, right?” Reading Christian books can expand our spiritual horizons and challenge us in our daily life, but it can’t take the place of reading the Bible.

I pray that God will give me the appetite for His Word that my co-worker has, and that I may read it with the same passion and understanding that in it I find the very words of God.

Tithing

A few weeks ago I attended a church that had passed out a survey, asking questions on what are commonly called spiritual disciplines. The church was a large, well-established congregation in the suburbs. The survey included such things as reading the Bible, praying, quiet time, journaling, etc. It was part of a series called Moving Forward, focusing on four stages of spiritual growth, from a “discovery” phase to living a Christ-centered life.

The worship service one particular week focused on catalysts for spiritual growth, using the results of the survey to get a “snapshot” of where this congregation falls on the spiritual growth scale. The results were somewhat surprising to me.

The Pastor focused on three specific areas to measure spiritual growth; Bible reading, prayer, and tithing. The results of the survey indicated the following about this congregation:

42% practice tithing (defined as giving 10% or more to the church)
38% pray regularly/daily
22% read the Bible daily

I have to confess, I was surprised by the results. I thought it was obvious that Bible reading would be at the top of the list, prayer next, and tithing well towards the bottom.

Maybe it was the denomination I grew up in, a denomination that did not emphasize tithing but taught us that our giving was between us and God. Maybe it was my personal belief that tithing needs to be defined broader than just giving to a specific church. Maybe it was just the naivety of a Christian who assumed everyone reads their Bible every day. No matter the reason I was surprised by the results.

The statistics are even more telling when placed against what the Pastor defined as the two greatest catalysts for spiritual growth, prayer and reflection on Scripture. I believe the two of them are bound together. People who pray Scripture are some of the best prayer warriors you will ever meet.

It’s interesting to note that tithing is not listed as one of the top two catalysts for spiritual growth. When comparing tithing to prayer and Bible reflection there are some interesting things to notice.

- Tithing is an outward expression of spiritual growth; prayer and reading the Bible are inward expressions.
-A tithe is very measurable; growth in prayer and scripture not nearly so.
-Tithing asks you to give of your money; prayer and Bible reading require time and commitment.
-Believers and non-believers alike give financially; only believers will bury their head in the Bible or bare their souls in prayer.

Looking at these statistics I tried to determine what these things say about this church. Needing a second opinion I asked my wife, whose vision on these things is often much clearer than mine. Knowing the church that took the survey she said it tells us that since the congregation is upper-middle class, giving is the easiest of the three disciplines for them to practice. Prayer, she said, is harder, but you still can pray anytime, anywhere. Reading the Bible takes a real commitment. It takes having a Bible, opening it, reading it, reflecting on it. It involves more than a wallet or a checkbook; it involves your body and your mind and your heart.

Churches tend to do a good job of teaching the Bible stories, particularly churches with a focus on biblical exposition and preaching. Yet many churches fail to ignite a passion for the Bible. Too often the Bible is reduced to a how-to manual for spiritual life and we never develop into people who burn with a desire to read it every day, people who long for intimate time with God.
A passion for the Bible ignites a passion for prayer. The Bible is filled with prayer stories, answered and unanswered prayer, passionate and desperate prayer, bargaining, pleading, praising prayer, even complaining prayer. The Bible introduces us to prayer warriors and to prayer chickens, people just like us.

It seems to me that our faith is rooted and grounded in the Bible. This is where we read the stories that satisfy our appetite for God. Those stories teach us about grace and gratitude. God speaks to us through the Bible. Bible reading becomes the foundation of our prayers, encouraging even greater spiritual growth. Spiritual growth, in turn, urges us to act on our faith, giving sacrificially, giving or tithing as a spiritual act of worship.

Tithing may be a visible measure of our spiritual growth but passionate pursuit of God in His Word and in prayer are much better measures. Tithing can lead to a certain pride, a sense that we’ve done our share, a sense that giving meets some requirement for grace. It can even limit joyful giving; some people feel if they meet the tithe their giving is done for the year. Passionate giving, motivated by an understanding of what God gave for us, giving beyond our means, leads us to the humility of complete dependence on God.

The author of the book of James urges us to be “doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deluding our own selves.” (James 1:22). Can we really become doers of the Word if we don’t first spend the time listening to what it says and talking with God to understand what it means in our life?

May the Lord ignite in all of us a burning desire to meet Him prayerfully in His Word, and may we seek visible ways to live out what we hear from Him.

The Body of Christ

I was attending a worship conference at a local Christian college and as part of the final worship service we celebrated the Lord's Supper. I had been born and raised in a Christian church, so the sacrament of the Lord's Supper was very familiar to me.

I had seen it celebrated a number of ways; the passing of a tray with small communion cups and small pieces of bread; served with a common loaf and cup; services where the people came to the front and were served one by one; celebrations where small groups gathered at the front and celebrated communion together. I even attended a coffee-shop service where the elements were set out at the beginning and people took the bread and wine at any time during the service as a personal time of communing with God.

At the conference worship service we came forward row by row to meet two people staged in the center of each aisle, one with a loaf of bread and one with a cup of wine. I walked down the aisle and met a man holding the loaf.

"The body of Christ, broken for you," he said quietly.

I tore a small piece of bread from the loaf and stepped to a woman holding a silver cup of wine. I carefully dipped my bread in the cup.

“The blood of Christ, shed for you, Jim,” the woman said softly.

I was startled. What kind of miracle was this? I had never met this woman. How could she possibly know my name? My eyes began to water as I ate the wine-soaked bread. A sudden realization washed over me, a wave of wonder; the body of Christ, the blood of Christ, for me. Jim. Broken, shed, for me. Jim.

The words sunk deep into my head, deep into my heart, penetrated the very depths of my soul.
Barely holding back my tears I returned to my seat and thanked God for a love so great He had died for me, for Jim.

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized how the woman knew my name; I was wearing a large conference tag with my name clearly printed on the front.

But knowing the secret didn’t lessen the impact. Christ died for me. His body broken, His blood poured out, for me, for Jim. And the next time I served Communion I made sure to tell everyone I served the same thing.

“Christ’s body, broken for you, John, for you, Kim, for you, Charles, for you, Elaine.”

The Lord’s Supper has never been the same since.

Healing Field

Healing Field

A field of healing
Of stripes and stars and memories
Beneath each flying flag
A name a date a picture
Walk the field
Wander between the poles
Relive the horror of 9/11
And the hope of 9/12
Grandkids impressed but still
Has it already lost some meaning
To them to us
Should anything that turns us to the One hope for peace be forgotten?
Wander between the poles
Walk the field
A name a date a picture
Beneath each flying flag
Of stripes and stars and memories
A field of healing

The Future of Faith

I just finished a book by Harvey Cox titled The Future of Faith. I found it to be a fascinating book that captures in a broad sweep some of the changes happening in the church today. His view on faith fits well with what I’ve read and learned about ministry in a post-modern world.
Cox sees three specific periods within church history. The first stage, the early church following Pentecost, is defined as the church of faith. This new Christianity was being defined through a lens of how we live our lives. Small groups gathered in homes to worship and learn. They shared their goods with each other, providing for those in need. Their structure was one of various cells that may or may not interact with each other daily. While the Apostles played a leadership role it wasn’t as leaders as we define them in the organized church structure we have today. Having walked with the Master they brought their experiences and His teachings together. Cox sees Paul’s letter to the various church’s as specific to their church and its issues, not as a development of a Christian theology. The early church could be more clearly defined as a movement than as a denomination or church.
Cox defines the second stage in church history as the age of belief. As the small cells began to coalesce Christians began to become more focused on what they believed. The initial church consisted of large numbers of Jewish converts. This led to tension between Orthodox Judaism and this new movement, fostering long discussions in the house churches in how to interpret Jesus teachings in relationship to the laws and regulations many converts had observed throughout their life. The age of belief really picked up steam when the Emperor Constantine incorporated the church into the state. Congregations became formalized and disagreements over beliefs became organized discussions. Councils were called to try to develop definitive statements of belief. These definitive statements eventually were formalized into creeds. Cox believes that these creeds really served the purpose of keeping out those who did not agree with them rather than being vehicles to bring people into the church. At the same time the clerical caste developed, and with the backing of the state, they had tremendous power which led to tremendous corruption. With no access to the written word the common man was dependent on the clerical caste to explain Scripture. Constantine used the church as a political tool and the church leaders were more than willing to be used because of the huge benefits the leaders received.
The Reformation pointed out the problems in the Catholic Church, specifically the corruption in the clerical caste. It also brought about the printing of the Bible, putting the Scriptures into the hands of the common man. People no longer had to rely on the interpretations they received from the clergy; they could read and discuss and study the Bible themselves. This led to an increase in denominational splits, each developing their own creeds and doctrines. Some creeds, like the Apostles Creed, held throughout the Christian community. Additional statements of belief such as the Heidelberg and Luther Catechisms were developed by various denominations. This formalization changed the way we define faith. In the first movement faith was defined as action but now faith is defined as belief. Somehow we equated faith to confessing and adhering to specific beliefs. Cox argues that this change in the definition of faith has not been good for the church.
Cox defines the third stage in church history, the one occurring in religion today, as the age of the Spirit. The Pentecostal movement brought the work of the Holy Spirit to the front once again. While some denominations ran for cover and made sure to purge anything they felt was Pentecostal-like from their worship services, the movement itself grew worldwide. Cox sees the growth in this third stage to be particularly strong in the Global South church. Once again faith is defined as how you live your life, prompted by the Spirit’s leading, rather than an acceptance of standardized creeds and doctrines. He sees this third stage as closely resembling the first stage, the age of faith. The Emerging Church movement is a key example of this change in Christian churches in the Northern Global church. The movement towards house churches, the ecumenical ties between denominations, and the desire of younger Christians to accept a variety of faith beliefs within a single faith community are all evidences of the growth of the age of the Spirit.

Best Kept Secret

I miss sermons. Not hearing them, I hear them every week. I miss writing sermons. There’s something special about writing a sermon, something that’s hard to put into words. I wonder sometimes if this is a Pastor’s best-kept secret, that sermon-writing can be joyful.

Recently I have been able to experience that joy again. I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to share God’s Word with a small group of believers at a local retirement community. And I do mean small. Often they’ll be only 4-5 people in attendance. But I make sure I preach the same way to that small congregation as I would to a whole sanctuary full of people. I think they deserve nothing less than my best. My utmost for His highest.

Now I don’t really write my sermons out. I read through a passage and ask God what He wants me to share with my small group of believers. And I ask Him not only what do I want them to know but also what I want them to do (special thanks to Bill Hybels who taught that lesson years ago). It can be a challenge when my listeners are on the twilight end of their lives. But it’s the call. I spend some time looking at outside sources, reference material, commentaries, and other people’s blogs on the passage.

Then I create the sermon, not on paper, not on a computer screen, not on an IPad or IPhone. No, I create it in my head. I can hear myself speaking, can hear the flow of the message and feel the cadence of delivery. It’s an awesome experience, but it’s not what I love the most.
What is truly amazing is feeling the Holy Spirit speak to me while I work. Questions pop into my mind as I read and re-read the text. Why doesn’t Jesus just answer the question? How did Isaac react and feel when he was laying on the altar? Was Adam’s description of Eve when he first met her rally a poem? What exactly was the thorn in Paul’s side?

And not only do the questions flow, so do answers. Not all at once, not an epiphany, but a slow emerging of the truth of the passage and of what it will mean to the listeners. Even passages I’ve read a million times and heard preached on before take on a different understanding.
I’m not claiming some gift here. I just believe this is the joy of sermon-writing, the Holy Spirit working through your senses to teach you what the passage means, and leading you to understand what it should mean to your life.

So I’m thankful for the chance to preach again, but even more thankful for a God who works in and through us to teach others.

Albert Pujols- Man of Faith

I have to confess to a personal bias as I review this book. I’m a Chicago Cubs fan, and should pan any book about a player for our arch rival, the St. Louis Cardinals. However, I laid my baseball (and his recent contract negotiations) aside and read the book Pujols. Somewhere in all the stats is a story but I had a hard time finding it. That Pujols is statistically one of the greatest hitters in baseball is indisputable, and the book follows the year-by-year progression of a player who hit over .300, drove in over 100 runs, and hit over 30 home runs in his first 10 seasons. Lamb and Ellsworth take us deeper; into the faith that motivates Pujols. The narrative is strong in baseball history but really skims the surface of Pujols’ life, marriage, and family. The authors assert Pujols faith and its evidence in his life and in baseball. ”Speaking to Posnanaski, Pujols laid it all out on the table for us to see: ‘You know how I want people to remember me? I don’t want to be remembered as the best baseball player ever. I want to be remembered as a great guy who loved the Lord, loved to serve the community and who gave back. That’s the guy I want to be remembered as when I’m done wearing the uniform. That’s from the bottom of my heart.” It’s difficult to argue with the expressions of Albert’s faith, but the narrative of his life is sorely lacking in details. Pujols’ daughter was born with Down’s syndrome. How did he and his wife feel when they learned the news? What did Albert feel when he held his daughter in his arms, as he watched her grow up? The book's most telling stat may be that 92% of those who find out they are having a child with Down’s syndrome abort the baby. The book does well in letting the reader know what a great player and strong Christian Albert is yet manages to do so without letting us really know Albert Pujols, the man. Maybe if I knew more of that man I could put my baseball bias aside and truly believe in him, and maybe others would be able to read this book and believe in Him. While the book holds up statistically I did not find it particularly inspiring and would be hesitant to recommend it to others as a testimony. I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I am under no compulsion to write a positive or negative review of this book. The opinions expressed are exclusively my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.