Video Announcements // February 27, 2011 from Willamette Christian Church on Vimeo.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Setting A New Bar For Announcement Videos
I tend to take pride in my work (you know, the healthy kind of pride) and it doesn't stop when it comes to making announcement videos. Aaron and I are in a constant journey to make the most compelling and informative announcement video the world has ever seen. It's a hefty task, but somebody needs to do it. This one is our best yet because it features half-court shots, which is one of my favorite things ever.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Fear, Power, and Love in the Midst of a Storm
Jesus calms a storm of some sort in all four gospels. In three of the accounts, the disciples are afraid during the storm, but terrified after the storm in calmed. These are two different words, the second being a much stronger fear.
Why? We can understand the fear during a storm, but after "there was a great calm," the disciples in the boat become terrified - it doesn't add up. There is a hint in Mark's account when the men ask one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?"
They were struck with such great fear because they realized that Jesus was more frightening than the storm.
The storm is scary, but you can manage it in many ways: adjust the sails, bail out water, move and shift weight. The fishermen had survived storms before by just adjusting and bowing to the threat of Nature.
But you cannot manage Jesus. He demonstrated in calming the storm, that he had power and dominion over it. If he can make a stormy sea smooth as glass, what else is this guy capable of?
Jesus is unmanageable. His power is limitless.
Seemingly, our storms (metaphorically and literally) have infinite power to wreck our voyage. But perhaps the more frightening reality is that there is a Master of the Storm.
Or not?
What the disciples spent the rest of their lives doing was discovering that the storm doesn't love them, God does. And when you have the option to bow to nature or bow to God, the option is clear: go with Love. So even though Jesus' power is limitless, his love is as well.
We know his love to be limitless because we see the historical event of Jesus coming into the storm of humanity, involving himself with suffering and going through the destruction of the cross in order to bring us the peace and still waters of a life in God's acceptance. And that is the love that should cast out fear.
Why? We can understand the fear during a storm, but after "there was a great calm," the disciples in the boat become terrified - it doesn't add up. There is a hint in Mark's account when the men ask one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?"
They were struck with such great fear because they realized that Jesus was more frightening than the storm.
The storm is scary, but you can manage it in many ways: adjust the sails, bail out water, move and shift weight. The fishermen had survived storms before by just adjusting and bowing to the threat of Nature.
But you cannot manage Jesus. He demonstrated in calming the storm, that he had power and dominion over it. If he can make a stormy sea smooth as glass, what else is this guy capable of?
Jesus is unmanageable. His power is limitless.
Seemingly, our storms (metaphorically and literally) have infinite power to wreck our voyage. But perhaps the more frightening reality is that there is a Master of the Storm.
Or not?
What the disciples spent the rest of their lives doing was discovering that the storm doesn't love them, God does. And when you have the option to bow to nature or bow to God, the option is clear: go with Love. So even though Jesus' power is limitless, his love is as well.
"His power is unbounded, but so are his wisdom and his love."So often people criticize belief in God because they can't believe the magnitude of God's power matched with what they see of this world (death, disease, disasters). How can he allow it? What they forget is that equal with his mighty power to instigate good and allow evil, is his Mighty Love and Wisdom. He not only knows better, he loves better.
-Dr. Timothy Keller, King's Cross pg. 54
We know his love to be limitless because we see the historical event of Jesus coming into the storm of humanity, involving himself with suffering and going through the destruction of the cross in order to bring us the peace and still waters of a life in God's acceptance. And that is the love that should cast out fear.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I Still Have No Idea What She Meant
SHE: "Would you like chips with your sandwich?"
ME: "Um, sure, I'll take some Cheetos."
SHE: "Oh, one of those days huh?"
ME: "I guess..."
ME: "Um, sure, I'll take some Cheetos."
SHE: "Oh, one of those days huh?"
ME: "I guess..."
Monday, February 21, 2011
There Is No Try
Remember Yoda before he was completely defamed by CGI? He was wise, wasn't he? One of his best lines (perhaps THE best line) came in the heart of Luke's struggle to grasp The Force:
"Do or do not. There is no try."
This small motivational phrase gave Luke the gusto to lift his fallen X-Wing out from the swamps of Dagobah by simply, but profoundly, The Force. Truly inspirational. And the the junior higher witnessing such an event? Life changing, to say the least.
I seem to meet a lot of people who have "tried Christianity" and decided it wasn't for them. Many went through high school "trying" it and found it to be either 1) existentially dissatisfying or 2) intellectually incredible (meaning what that word is supposed to mean: not credible). These are good grounds to dismiss a worldview, but I'm not completely convinced these triers have grasped the claims of Jesus.
Because they were failed in those two areas, they become despondent and move to a noncommittal philosophical worldview that helps them make sense of some things in their life (self-view, identity, sexuality, etc). Some float through this non-commitment for some time.
I've noticed one thing with "trying out" Christianity for a season: it's impossible.
You see, you're allowed to try out religious Christianity or religion, but when it comes to Biblical, orthodox Christianity, it won't let you try it out. You're in or you're out. There is no try.
Since religion is all about accomplishing moral duty through performing laws, you can try that for a while and fail and then quit; but Jesus was looking for more than performance.
By a simple examination of the rhetorical content of God's askings in the Bible we can see that he's not asking for simple action points and obedience or pillars of behavior - He's asking for our lives. Nothing less.
How do you "try out" giving away your whole life? How do you "give a shot" at giving up everything (Your past, present and future, your dreams and your own mind)?
The people who try Christianity end up trying the cultural religious fluff that has been placed around it because they're too fearful to give everything to Christ. Indeed, this is a frightening ask of God.
And yet maybe in the failure of trying we are only able to see its own inherent weakness. How about we let Lewis finish it?
"Do or do not. There is no try."
This small motivational phrase gave Luke the gusto to lift his fallen X-Wing out from the swamps of Dagobah by simply, but profoundly, The Force. Truly inspirational. And the the junior higher witnessing such an event? Life changing, to say the least.
I seem to meet a lot of people who have "tried Christianity" and decided it wasn't for them. Many went through high school "trying" it and found it to be either 1) existentially dissatisfying or 2) intellectually incredible (meaning what that word is supposed to mean: not credible). These are good grounds to dismiss a worldview, but I'm not completely convinced these triers have grasped the claims of Jesus.
Because they were failed in those two areas, they become despondent and move to a noncommittal philosophical worldview that helps them make sense of some things in their life (self-view, identity, sexuality, etc). Some float through this non-commitment for some time.
I've noticed one thing with "trying out" Christianity for a season: it's impossible.
You see, you're allowed to try out religious Christianity or religion, but when it comes to Biblical, orthodox Christianity, it won't let you try it out. You're in or you're out. There is no try.
Since religion is all about accomplishing moral duty through performing laws, you can try that for a while and fail and then quit; but Jesus was looking for more than performance.
By a simple examination of the rhetorical content of God's askings in the Bible we can see that he's not asking for simple action points and obedience or pillars of behavior - He's asking for our lives. Nothing less.
How do you "try out" giving away your whole life? How do you "give a shot" at giving up everything (Your past, present and future, your dreams and your own mind)?
The people who try Christianity end up trying the cultural religious fluff that has been placed around it because they're too fearful to give everything to Christ. Indeed, this is a frightening ask of God.
And yet maybe in the failure of trying we are only able to see its own inherent weakness. How about we let Lewis finish it?
"Now we cannot...discover our failure to keep God's law except by trying our very hardest (and then failing). Unless we really try, whatever we say there will always be at the back of our minds the idea that if we try harder next time we shall succeed in being completely good. Thus, in one sense, the road back to God is a road of moral effort, of trying harder and harder. But in another sense it is not trying that is ever going to bring us home. All this trying leads up to the vital moment at which you turn to God and say, 'You must do this. I can't.'"
-C.S. Lewis, Mere ChristianityAt the center of "accepting Christianity" is total surrender. At first, a seemingly weak action, but in the end it will be much more life-giving than trying to be good.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Irritating One Another to Love
After studying ancient Greek for a year and reading the Bible for close to 10 years, I often find myself honing in on one word and asking myself, What else could that word mean?
Such a thing happened when I came upon this very famous verse out of the book of Hebrews: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works..."
What does it mean to "stir up one another?" Because while I don't really know what that means, I do know that I want to figure it out because it sounds like the New Testament is saying that this is one smart way to make loving, good-working people. And who doesn't want more of that?
Upon investigating this Greek phrase, you find one word: παροξυσμός (paroxysmos), which has two seemingly different meanings. One leans toward encouraging or spurring encouragements, but the other meaning (and more commonly used in other Koine Greek texts) is most accurately translated to "irritating."
Can I quote the Dictionary of Biblical Languages? I thought so...
"sharp contention implying exasperation."
So, this gets a richer meaning does it not? The charge becomes clear: Do we have people in our lives who are friendly to us? Or do we have people who irritate us correctly? People who say things we know are right and good, but it's tough to hear? We need people in our lives who we trust that give us the type of love we need and not always the type of love we want. They are very different sometimes.
Love is nothing like tolerance, but it is often correcting, which is irritating to the one receiving it. We do not see the danger of playing in the street as a child, but we had people (parents) who cared enough to tell us that it was deadly.
In the same way, we need those seemingly irritating voices that demolish our pride and join with God in the renewal of our hearts.
Such a thing happened when I came upon this very famous verse out of the book of Hebrews: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works..."
What does it mean to "stir up one another?" Because while I don't really know what that means, I do know that I want to figure it out because it sounds like the New Testament is saying that this is one smart way to make loving, good-working people. And who doesn't want more of that?
Upon investigating this Greek phrase, you find one word: παροξυσμός (paroxysmos), which has two seemingly different meanings. One leans toward encouraging or spurring encouragements, but the other meaning (and more commonly used in other Koine Greek texts) is most accurately translated to "irritating."
Can I quote the Dictionary of Biblical Languages? I thought so...
"sharp contention implying exasperation."
So, this gets a richer meaning does it not? The charge becomes clear: Do we have people in our lives who are friendly to us? Or do we have people who irritate us correctly? People who say things we know are right and good, but it's tough to hear? We need people in our lives who we trust that give us the type of love we need and not always the type of love we want. They are very different sometimes.
Love is nothing like tolerance, but it is often correcting, which is irritating to the one receiving it. We do not see the danger of playing in the street as a child, but we had people (parents) who cared enough to tell us that it was deadly.
In the same way, we need those seemingly irritating voices that demolish our pride and join with God in the renewal of our hearts.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Are You a Sinner? There's an app for that...
The Catholic Church has approved this iPhone app that lets you track your sins. Hm.
The Confession app is about $2 on iTunes and is described by the church as the "perfect aid." Was Jesus not enough? Is community not enough?
Look, I love my Catholic brothers; I'm convinced that had I not grown up around them I would not be as excited about my God as I am today. But, c'mon! An app that lets you track your sins? Sure, this might be convenient, but I'm not sure it's totally helpful at all. I guess it's perfect for the religious person, but I'm not really into that whole thing. I want to know my God, not just my sins I committed or didn't commit every week. What about you?
The Confession app is about $2 on iTunes and is described by the church as the "perfect aid." Was Jesus not enough? Is community not enough?
Look, I love my Catholic brothers; I'm convinced that had I not grown up around them I would not be as excited about my God as I am today. But, c'mon! An app that lets you track your sins? Sure, this might be convenient, but I'm not sure it's totally helpful at all. I guess it's perfect for the religious person, but I'm not really into that whole thing. I want to know my God, not just my sins I committed or didn't commit every week. What about you?
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Duty Into Choice
I've been able to do quite a bit of study on freedom and what freedom looks like in the Christian life because of my next couple of sermons. I'm excited to preach some of my findings at Community of Faith Lutheran Church this Sunday as well as work some of it out for the youth next Wednesday night.
In studying, I have read and re-read a lot of work on freedom and I ended up actually finding a beautiful hymn I have never heard sung or read, but found its words to be so accurate of what freedom in Christ looks like.
The hymn is "Love Constrained to Obedience," by William Cowper and is rich with meaning. The opening stanzas read like this:
In studying, I have read and re-read a lot of work on freedom and I ended up actually finding a beautiful hymn I have never heard sung or read, but found its words to be so accurate of what freedom in Christ looks like.
The hymn is "Love Constrained to Obedience," by William Cowper and is rich with meaning. The opening stanzas read like this:
No strength of nature can sufficeAnd he closes like this…
To serve the Lord aright:
And what she has she misapplies,
For want of clearer light.
How long beneath the law I lay
In bondage and distress;
I toll'd the precept to obey,
But toil'd without success.
To see the law by Christ fulfilledFor all of the freedom found in the gospel, Cowper hones in on the reality: We find freedom when we see that we are actually serving a master who served us first with his whole life and death. This must change the way in which you see Him and His ways. Because of what He has done, our heart's desire shifts.
And hear His pardoning voice,
Changes a slave into a child,
And duty into choice.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Another Side of Detroit
Do not get me wrong, that Super Bowl advertisement Chrysler put together with Eminem was flat-out awesome. Smooth. Cool. No gimmicks. I loved the rhetorical aspects of it.
But let's remember that Detroit is not glamorous. The city, as you can see from this gallery, is literally (and I use that word carefully) in ruins and it desperately needs help. Perhaps Chrysler will be part of that, who knows?
I was visiting my dad in Michigan just a month ago and seeing some of the houses as we drove out of Detroit was like something out of McCarthy. My heart breaks for this city and I'm not sure why. I think it has one of the most interesting stories of any American metropolis and it's difficult for me to believe that this is the end. Let's hope not.
Make sure to see the other haunting pictures over at Retronaut.
But let's remember that Detroit is not glamorous. The city, as you can see from this gallery, is literally (and I use that word carefully) in ruins and it desperately needs help. Perhaps Chrysler will be part of that, who knows?
I was visiting my dad in Michigan just a month ago and seeing some of the houses as we drove out of Detroit was like something out of McCarthy. My heart breaks for this city and I'm not sure why. I think it has one of the most interesting stories of any American metropolis and it's difficult for me to believe that this is the end. Let's hope not.
Make sure to see the other haunting pictures over at Retronaut.
Do Something With Your Life!
"Our greatest fear should not be that we won't succeed, but that we will succeed at something that doesn't matter."The worst question you get as a senior in high school is only bad because it's so heavily repeated: "What are you going to do after you graduate?" That question got so annoying I found a way to answer it in four words.
-Dwight L. Moody
I now work with high school students and I can see the pressure building up on them: coaches, teachers, parents, and pastors lay expectation after expectation on them in hopes that they'll actually do something with their life.
But I'm finding that I don't really worry about my students' accomplishments all that much. I hope for them to succeed, but I'm not really banking on that. What I'm actually worried about is that whatever they end up doing will end up not mattering to the world.
I want these kids to go into business. I want them to play sports. I want them to go to college or not go to college. I want them to work for a living. I want them to get jobs they love. I want them to get married. I want them to raise kids and I want their kids to have the opportunities they had.
But so much of life is not about what you do, but how you end up doing it.
Moody is hinting at something; In the end, business is not about making money, it's about serving society. And sports is not about celebrity, it's about experiencing the wonder of corporate play and building character. Making art is not about the artist, but about making the world aware of the unspeakable. And raising kids is not about fulfilling your dreams, it's about their hearts and future adulthood.
I don't give students another thing to be successful at, I give them the gospel, which redefines success.
Now with Christ, you can do anything you want; you just need to make sure you're doing it in relationship to Him. Therefore, anything you do - from waiting tables to leading a company - can be done as St. Paul said, "for the glory of God." You can do a lot of work for Christ, but it's more about doing work in Christ. I have learned these things to be quite different.
Jesus is not another thing in your life to be "good at," but rather He is the way to the rest of your life. The gospel makes things matter. Success is no longer defined as being on top and having everyone serve you, it now becomes entirely about serving all people.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Not Interested In Blessings
The blessings of God are wonderful, but it's surprising how many Saints and fathers of the faith were unimpressed with blessings when God's presence was not with them.
My friend Alex reminded me of this video of Dr. David Martin Lloyd-Jones preaching from his sermon "How Revival Comes," which was a part of a larger series that ended up being published in book form. He's speaking from Exodus 33 where the Israelites refuse to move on without God's presence, even when he offers them success and material well-being. In his sermon, "The Doctor" as Lloyd-Jones was called, separates the blessings of God from God himself:
"It is for thee I cry out. As the deer pants for water, so my soul pants after thee, O God." says the songwriter of Psalm 42:1.
St. Paul begs: "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings."
Blessings are not enough for these men, it is God they desire. In fact, they welcome any type of circumstance or state of being as long as they get God and God alone. Perhaps we are not connecting with God because we're so attached to his blessings.
When you enjoy these blessings, you're on to something so keep enjoying what he gives, just make sure you don't end there because above them lies the Greatest Blessing you could experience: Him.
My friend Alex reminded me of this video of Dr. David Martin Lloyd-Jones preaching from his sermon "How Revival Comes," which was a part of a larger series that ended up being published in book form. He's speaking from Exodus 33 where the Israelites refuse to move on without God's presence, even when he offers them success and material well-being. In his sermon, "The Doctor" as Lloyd-Jones was called, separates the blessings of God from God himself:
"What is the value of Canaan? What is the value of milk and honey? What is the value of having possessions, if God was not with them? They saw that the realisation of the presence of God, having his fellowship and company, was infinitely more important than everything else."The Doctor quotes two key verses and could have quoted a hundred more:
-Dr. David Martin Lloyd-Jones, Revival, p. 158.
"It is for thee I cry out. As the deer pants for water, so my soul pants after thee, O God." says the songwriter of Psalm 42:1.
St. Paul begs: "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings."
Blessings are not enough for these men, it is God they desire. In fact, they welcome any type of circumstance or state of being as long as they get God and God alone. Perhaps we are not connecting with God because we're so attached to his blessings.
When you enjoy these blessings, you're on to something so keep enjoying what he gives, just make sure you don't end there because above them lies the Greatest Blessing you could experience: Him.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Returning the Compliment
Imagine a young groom on his wedding day, making promises to his bride. He tells her that he desires her and vows to make it his life's project to protect her and love her well in order that they may together experience the wonder of romance.
Now imagine you see this groom one month after his wedding day and ask him, "How is your wife? Are you enjoying marriage?" And he replies to you, "I'm not happy. During the first two weeks, everything was wonderful, but I'm not sure I'm in love anymore." After inquiring more about his problem, you come to find out that he rarely speaks to his wife, he never spends time with her, and he hasn't really paid attention to the details of her life since they have been wed.
After he says all of these things he ends with this line: "I just don't feel like I'm in love with her anymore. There's no connection."
The sensible person thinks the groom to be crazy. If you spend no time with your wife and never speak to her and pay absolutely no attention to the details of her life, the direct result will be a loss of romantic connection, you think. Duh, right?
Or not.
When I examine the language I have used with God in the past, it has certainly at times been this absurd.
We make huge commitments to Him based on the blessings he has shown us and we invite him into our lives (an absurdity when you think about it; it makes so much of us) saying, "I love you, Lord and I want life with you!"
And then he tells you what life with him looks like. Life with God is not one of performance, where we act out certain rituals to please him, life with this God is about a relationship.
So a man walks up to Jesus and says, "What's the greatest commandment?" And Jesus responds saying, "The Lord is One God, and you shall love him with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength. This is the greatest commandment."
Jesus sets us straight: our command is not to do something, but it's to know someone.
But in order to know someone, you must do things. There is no knowing without doing. You must learn about them, you must speak to them, and you must commit time to them or else you will not know them.
We absolutely know this to be true with our friends, but why do we think God is any different? I would say that we think it's different because we really don't know Him. We don't understand just how personal it gets with this God.
Now imagine you see this groom one month after his wedding day and ask him, "How is your wife? Are you enjoying marriage?" And he replies to you, "I'm not happy. During the first two weeks, everything was wonderful, but I'm not sure I'm in love anymore." After inquiring more about his problem, you come to find out that he rarely speaks to his wife, he never spends time with her, and he hasn't really paid attention to the details of her life since they have been wed.
After he says all of these things he ends with this line: "I just don't feel like I'm in love with her anymore. There's no connection."
The sensible person thinks the groom to be crazy. If you spend no time with your wife and never speak to her and pay absolutely no attention to the details of her life, the direct result will be a loss of romantic connection, you think. Duh, right?
Or not.
When I examine the language I have used with God in the past, it has certainly at times been this absurd.
We make huge commitments to Him based on the blessings he has shown us and we invite him into our lives (an absurdity when you think about it; it makes so much of us) saying, "I love you, Lord and I want life with you!"
And then he tells you what life with him looks like. Life with God is not one of performance, where we act out certain rituals to please him, life with this God is about a relationship.
So a man walks up to Jesus and says, "What's the greatest commandment?" And Jesus responds saying, "The Lord is One God, and you shall love him with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength. This is the greatest commandment."
Jesus sets us straight: our command is not to do something, but it's to know someone.
But in order to know someone, you must do things. There is no knowing without doing. You must learn about them, you must speak to them, and you must commit time to them or else you will not know them.
We absolutely know this to be true with our friends, but why do we think God is any different? I would say that we think it's different because we really don't know Him. We don't understand just how personal it gets with this God.
"The worst we have done to God is to leave Him alone - why can't He return the compliment?"Getting to know another person takes some work and understanding God is similar. The difference is that getting to know God will take more than you may think - He promises that - but guess what? The benefits of knowing this One are much greater than the benefits of your closest companion.
-C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, pg. 51
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