It is quite easy to think of the Bible as a book of rules — things to DO. Yet, it is far greatest The Story of God, of His coming near to us, and in that way is not primarily about us. The Bible is about GOD. And not just facts, figures and fables — as if God were a science experiment, a idea to be calculated, quantified and categorized. In reality, God has acted in history — in this real world — and as we read Scripture we discover the stories are true, the characters are generally failures, and God is always faithful. That’s step one, reading the Bible as if it’s about God and not just “me.” Of course, it must be experienced, taken into our whole lives, if we are to learn what God says.

There’s another needed emphasis, more likened to a simple priority: know the WHOs before the DOs. Jesus came to show us the way by BEING the way. No five step (or 12) plan for salvation here. He’s the plan, the whole plan. So when we read, we see the what, why, how, and especially the Who of God’s Story.

This “happy tension” of sorts is recognizing the why the Bible is written. Take the New Testament, written in common day (Koine) Greek. The most common mood of the verbs is in what’s called the indicative mood. Stating facts, making declarations (e.g., “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…” John 3:16). Later, and less frequently we get into the imperative mood, of commands (”Do this … do that…”; e.g., “Be holy…,” or “forgive one another” Eph. 4:32). I say later because we must recognize that every command of Scripture is rooted in a promise, in the prior work of God with us and for us. A couple examples…

Ephesians 4:32:

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another” // a very good command; do it!

But how and why?

“…as God in Christ forgave you.”

We can only forgive out of the resources of the self-sacrificing God who forgives sinners at the greatest sacrifice the world has ever known. We can think of the “other,” because God is all about the “other,” modeled in relationships among the Trinity. Furthermore, as an application, we can begin with forbearance, because Christ has gone before us — the WHO before our DO — throwing away His convenience to suffer as a servant in our place (Phil. 2:1-11).

Digging into the Word: Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

Another example of this indicative-imperative correlation is Philippians 4:1:

“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”

(We just taught this passage to our high schoolers.) Do you see what Paul did there? He could have said it so simply, like: “just stand firm in the Lord. Do it!” Why does he wax eloquent — is it just poetic or is God doing something deep and meaningful here? He’s talking about identity… their true (and new) identity.

That’s the only way to be read the Bible as one alive, and to teach it to others for transformation. Every single command in Scripture is rooted in  God’s prior work, for His commands become His enablements. Just as Paul waited unto the twelfth chapter of Romans to give the very first command in that great letter (Romans 12:1-2), we recognize Christianity is far more about WHO Jesus is than what we DO. Plus, our doing comes out of our being, which comes from being remade into His image (Colossians 3:10) and embracing our new identity.

Below Darrin Patrick, summarizes this necessary approach to reading and teaching the Bible in a 9 minute video. He was asked to collaborate with about 80 other church leaders across the country on a day of training called “The Nines” (on 09.09.09), put on by the Leadership Network and Catalyst. Darrin serves as lead pastor of The Journey Church in St. Louis, a Gospel-centered missional church he and others founded less than a decade ago, and has become a catalyst for church planters and leaders globally.

We used this video to spark a discussion last week with high school leaders and students. Bits of it may have been over their head — there’s those happy tensions — as real growth comes from being challenged. This sparked a great discussion, and spiritual and mental lights were going on all over the place. So, that’s what it means to work from significance and not for it, according to the Gospel (as I seek to remind them).

He covers the ground quickly, so open your Bible to Luke 24, and grab something to take notes. Enjoy!

On the negative, those who fall away or do not endure to the end are not kept by the one true Rescuer. No one in the end will be able to blame God for rejecting Him and His Son, but (on the positive) all who are kept will speak forever of His awesome grace. This way, we speak not as people who are right, but decidedly as a people who are being rescued.

In wrapping up his brief letter, Jude gives two summarizes of the Christian life. The first underscores our participation/responsibility to always be moving forward in the deepening of our character and dependence:

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” (Jude 1:20-21)

In the final sentence commonly known as the doxology (lit., ‘a word of praise/glory’), Jude prays and ascribes the ultimate power for our being “kept” to the only true God:

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)

Calling Jesus “our Lord” is not simply religious jargon. In fact, it is not really a religious term at all. It means Master — and oh so much more — for He is the King of all, of the whole universe and beyond: having a name above any other name imaginable (Phil. 2:9-11). God wants to be known; He is known in and through Jesus. And He is the only one strong enough to keep us from stumbling, and what great it is to be considered pure and blameless, not because of our performance, but on solely on account of His.

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. \\nGod is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”— 1 John 4:16

Being loved changes people. How do we know God loves us? What is His love like?

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.“— 1 John 4:10

God treated Jesus like He was us, so He could treat us like we are Jesus: His beloved, obedient, awesome Son.

How can we know God’s love? God’s love takes action; compelled by love, voluntarily seeking the good of the other at the expense of self. On the cross God shouted “I love you!” (And it was not some abstract truth; God came in the flesh proving His love.) His already accomplished reality then leads us to creatively and intentionally replicate His example by give our lives away for others. If we do not respond in love towards others, sacrificial love, then we don’t actually know God. This should be convicting, unsettling, and especially uncomfortable. All true and lasting change involves stress and tension that first makes us uncomfortable then leads us to re-orient our lives.

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”— 1 John 3:16

In short: God didn’t give us His leftovers. Think about how you show your love to your loved ones: do they get leftovers?

Happy Tensions: What, Why, How … + Who // my favorite article on seeing all things through the lens of Jesus. We need a Redeemer, not a system of redemption (how-to’s). I was pastoral intern at a purpose-driven church at the time

Gospel-distorting approaches to change // perhaps another way of saying that all sin is idolatry, and since we worshiped our way to sin, we must worship our way out

Happy tensions: Head + Heart // objective + subjective knowing; God doesn’t want us to check our brain at the door

Clarity > Relevance // adults are like teens, just that teens can pay attention more/longer

Believing + Receiving // Do I treat Jesus like He is a Comcast cable guy, doing things for me so I can enjoy life without Him?

The Devoted Church // on first sermon preached at WCC

GOD: They is One // don’t apologize for the Trinity; it is not a technicality, it is the foundational relationship of everything

Our common Source of Significance // re-blogged another pastor’s thoughts; spot-on in my book

Living Our True Identity// 200-word essay for a local paper on the nature of the church. We are worshipers, family, learners, missionaries, servants. Are you?

A number of the kids are experiencing the fallout of a broken home: divorced, estranged or separated parents. John, one of our leaders shared how 40 years ago his parents divorced, and how at age 8 he somehow felt responsible. He then gave seven (awesome) principles for how to see yourself and others if your parents are going through something as devastating as divorce. I plan to get his notes and share on our student website, for the sake of parents.

During our discussion in break-out time (small groups), I needed to step in to lead a couple of the groups. We formed one larger group in a circle. Before I asked them questions the young ladies could ask me any question. One of their first was: what about your wife made you want to marry her?

On the spot I listed two primary reasons: she loves Christ, and she was too busy serving Him to try to flirt with me. It’s true, modesty and appropriate interaction with the opposite sex is much more attractive than being all “out there,” trying to flaunt one’s body. Seriously, ladies, guard your purity, and your brother’s purity by first pursuing beauty from the inside-out.

We chatted about other questions too, and I asked them some: since school starts this week (or next), what about middle school excites you the most? What leads you to be anxious or worry? I was surprised that not many of their answers focused on “fitting in,” or having friends. Actually, come to think of it, the enormity of peer pressure onsets a couple years later, and especially in the shift to night grade/high school.

Back to riffing about my wife … there are more than two reasons to love her.

A million reasons she’s attractive

Why is Kari so attractive to me? There are a million reasons I could list, from her mad parenting skills, to her depth of character. (On her last birthday I wrote her a card with the same number of reasons as years.) She is a wiz in the kitchen, a learner in all things, a perseverer in the direst of circumstances, an encourager when all looks hopeless, a writer of good words, a lover of simple pleasures (tea! cookie dough!). Kari is the best wife I could dream up. As the mother of our two kids she runs the house and yet finds passion and energy to devote herself to people as God leads.

My wife loves God. She is captivated with Jesus the Christ. In one hyphenated word, she is “God-centered” — more than anyone else I know. That’s why she waited for marriage, saving herself physically for me. As a single gal her keychain said “I {heart} my husband,” which of course is her Maker (Isaiah 54:5). She wisely knows I cannot fulfill her the way her true Husband can. I’m here to make her holy even more than happy (although we both know those two go hand-in-hand). As we become whole together, as one, we are happier than ever.

She is also people-directed. Kari’s passion for life and compassion for people shows itself in countless ways. Her selfless streaks extend far past our front doors. For one, her writing impacts so many. While we still have a private home life, we have a standard that given both of our buy-in, no experience is off-limits to share, if it will benefit others and make Christ look glorious. That’s because our most humiliating moments are often our greatest lessons. And the way to glory is the way of humility. Humility is not abstract; it must be learned in real-time, with real times of humiliation. In discipleship we are beckoned to share truth and faith, plus our falsehoods and un-faith, our obedience and disobedience. We learn experientially (the best kind of learning) with one another. Kari does that well, for she’s not trying to impress you or me. Christ has already impressed God for us.

Through Kari’s words others gain courage to live boldly, decide swiftly, and persevere radically. When I need a kick in the pants, I read her thoughts. Other authors teach me theology, but she shows me theology. Words about God put into daily practice.

Back in college ministry, as we were transitioning from life in Corvallis, she compiled the Bible study notes she had taught to dozens and dozens of ladies into a book (with lessons like “The Bride of Christ in Combat Boots”). I saved two copies, one for our kids to read someday, and a second copy for my own soul. Right now that copy sits on a shelf in my office, and I turn to it periodically. As a serial reader, coming back to one book is unique. Kari’s words are compelling and attractive, even in their raw form. While I may pour over a paragraph and still not get it right, Kari unleashes verbs, nouns and all the rest without so much as correcting her typos. What you read on her blog is the exact strokes of the keyboard (or “hte keboard” as she may type it).

At the most basic of level Kari is my pastor, shepherding my soul. She knows me deeper than anyone else—is not impressed—yet draws even nearer. (Can you heartily agree with me: I married up!)

While Kari is a rock, she is also real. That is perhaps her most elusive trait. How do you remain wise and discerning, yet open enough to share your life, in little and large bits? I learn that from her every day, in a million little ways. Every one is another reason to love and adore her.

Let’s together celebrate our independence today through our dependence upon the Sovereign King of all.

Here’s what I wrote then, and swim in now:

[Fall '08] Greek has seemed to be a little disjointed until we arrive in the relative deep-end of participles this semester. I am certainly still wading around in the shallow end, but being pushed further into learning how to swim in this new language (but still with those orange arm-floaties!). Last week I read a couple fascinating notes about the participle of means (”by means of”) while reading Wallace’s Greek Grammar (p. 630).

Humble yourselves … by casting your cares upon Him

The first illustration comes from the oft quoted passage in 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God …” Many times I’ve heard the next clause quoted in isolation: “Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.” Do this! Yes, how needed and true it is, for He does care for us. But “cast your cares upon Him” is not an imperative clause (casting is a participle, not a verb). We miss the point when we think of the phrases separate as “Humble yourselves.” [And] “cast your case upon Him.”

The point of the Apostle seems to be that the specific way we humble ourselves before God is to cast our cares upon Him. We show humility by casting our cares upon Him. Dependence and submission in all of life — even the small stuff — reveals an attitude of humility (and creates it too).

He emptied Himself … by taking on the form of a servant

The next illustration came right underneath, where the famous kenosis passage is in view (Phil. 2:6-8). Specifically, in verse 7, where the participle should be translated “he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant.” Debate has gone on for at least the last two centuries as to what it means that Christ emptied (ekenosev) Himself. Wallace notes the typical pattern of this specific participle, that it follows the verb, and that the verb is vague, even needing (’begging’) to be defined. “By taking on” shows the means of Christ’s emptying Himself. He did not subtract His deity, but rather added the form of a slave, willingly, becoming a man, suffering and dying — even death on a cross (v. 8).

But wait, isn’t emptying normally thought of as subtraction, not addition? Wallace notes that as well, and points out the poetic features of the whole passage (most likely it was used as an early hymn). Earlier in verses 1-4 he commanded them to think and do “nothing from selfish ambition and vain conceit.” The word for conceit (kenodoxian or “empty glory”) is used by Paul to remind them of what not to do. Then Jesus comes along and shows them what to do — what it means to empty His glory (the words almost rhyme) — they are to have that same mind towards one another. Brilliant and powerful insights, Dr. Wallace!

The opposing directions in view in both passages are startling. We receive God favor by humbling ourselves, and specifically by casting our cares and burdens upon Him. (He opposes us directly even second if we go the other way, which is revealed in our not taking our cares to Him.) The antidote to seeking empty glory is to stare at the One who emptied His own glory to reveal His infinite worth in the lowliest form of all, a slave unto death. He will change us. Let this mind be in us, continually, Lord Jesus.

What we often call peace with God , is really just a subjective sense in the mind that all is calm. It is a kind of peace, but is it really having peace WITH GOD? To be at peace with God demands the removal the the enmity we by default live in. Not only are we indifferent, we are at war (Romans 8:7-9), and probably in more passive-aggressive ways than even play out on human and family levels. If insanity is defined at doing the same things over and over yet expecting different results, then we are functionally insane if our thinking is "Hey, I had a good day, things are running smoothly … God and I must be cool."

One huge problem with this is with all our change in feeling and attitude about the situation, the one Person whose perspective matters — God the Creator — has been left out. Real barriers exist between us and Him, and these must be overcome. The barriers must be removed, which means our sins (acts) must be forgiven AND our sinful bent reversed. We are guilty of both breaking God’s laws, but more than that: we break them because we are selfish, sinful people. We prefer anything and everything over God and His best. So God must not only remove the barriers of our sinful actions, He must conquer our "old man" and remake us as new people (Colossians 3:1-11).

Okay, that was deep. How about a change-up real quick? This came in my email (from something who "never" sends forwards, which I also hardly ever read):

"By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace. Dr. Phil proclaimed, ‘The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished.’ So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn’t finished,and before the morning was over I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Cream, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, and a box of chocolates. You have no idea how good I feel right now."

That’s obviously a joke, but is that not how we think of true inner peace, and how so many seek it: by numbing ourselves from our real brokenness. It’s been noted that about 1 in 4 Americans are on tranquilizers of some kind — eradicating the natural alarms in our body that are there (pain!) to remind us that something is wrong. Some people would rather listen to

A short meditation for this morning:

With that in mind, we look at the previous couple verses:

I battle fear — a form of UNBELIEF — everyday, and must wage war in my mind and heart according to 2nd Corinthians 10:5, taking every though captive to the LORDSHIP and mind of Christ.

What an amazing dynamic to ENJOY (v. 4) God in the mundane details of life ("always"), to POUR OUR MY HEART to Him (v. 6), and to EXPERIENCE His peace. This peace is both an objective standing (having peace with God ), and subjective reality (peace from God , and here, the peace of God ). Startling to think we can enjoy the very peace God Himself enjoys. Wow. We can experience God’s peace daily because we live in God’s peace because of Jesus has unconditionally chosen and redeemed us.

It’s hard admitting life is not about you.

It’s hard facing the fallenness of the world.

For this; grace.

(Thanks to Paul Tripp for the reminder.)

First, a snippet of an old hymn:

Holy Father, holy Son,
Holy Spirit, three we name you,
though in essence only one;
undivided God, we claim you,
and, adoring, bend the knee
while we own the mystery.
(Holy God, We Praise Your Name ; Latin text, 4th century; English translation by Clarence A. Walwort)

“The Trinity isn’t a technicality but the central relationship of the Christian faith.” — J.I. Packer

Because God is a tri-unity of co-equal, co-eternal persons, we could rightly say They is one and He are three

He is a community of persons, which sets the Christian God of the Scriptures apart from any other deity in religion or elsewhere. The Trinity is the distinct and mysterious basis of all of our relationships. God is both knowable yet incomprehensible. He is bigger than us. We do not worship three gods, but one God who although He dwells in inapproachable light, has by His own initiative come near to us. God seeks to be known, as Father, Son and Spirit.

At this point it may be helpful to say that Christians have no need to apologize for the Trinity. In fact, it is a key feature of the self-revealing God that He let’s us relate to Him in all three Persons. Don’t apologize for the Trinity because you can’t understand it. I don’t understand the Gospel of grace; but that won’t keep me from exploring it and speaking of it always. The Trinity provides us the clue to all relationships. Don’t ignore the Trinity (as merely an idea); explore the Father, Son and Spirit!

God, a community of persons

Community as a divine-human phenomenon is traced back to the nature of God. God is not, as many assume, a disinterested Scientist, a removed Observer or an impersonal Energy. According to the Bible, God is three Persons in relationship—God the Father, Son and Spirit. God has always existed as a community of persons, self-sufficient, self-delighting, self-honoring, with no need of others. When He created the universe, he made man like Himself, “in His image.” This means many things. In particular, it means is that man was created with a need for community. This can be observed among abandoned children. Kids that are abandoned in the wild make friends with animals. We are social creatures.

The Trinity shows us that God existed before all things, in complete harmony with Himself (Themselves), and lacking nothing. Creation comes out of the overflow of His love and joy, rather than be necessary to meet one of His needs (or Their needs).

God is also purposeful. He designed the universe for redemption. New life comes out of dying stars. In a divine covenant, the Trinity agreed that Jesus would die to rescue the world that humankind would mar. Jesus died “before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). As a result, Jesus put the creation project back on track. He began restoring it right away. Healing lepers, stilling storms, balancing the unstable, drawing people back into community with God and with one another. God is missional; He sent Himself. One of His purposes is to redeem and restore community by saving humanity from their broken relationships with Him and with one another. Will you join in His/Their Story?

God is glorious; I don’t have to fear others.

God is good; I don’t have to look elsewhere for satisfaction.

God is gracious; I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

JESUS is the whole point of all of life. He is everything.

I live and work from significance in Him, not for it — according to the Gospel.

Listen to "That Whosoever"

"We wrestle with ‘making the gospel relevant.’ But God is about transforming the world to fit the shape of the Gospel." — Total Church

WHO is more relevant than GOD? Seriously, can there by anyone cooler than the Creator? We bore ourselves with second-rate nonsense, and then conclude that God is irrelevant.  In fact, it is you and I who are irrelevant. Only Christ gives us lasting value, for while we were yet sinners (our real identity), Christ died in our place (Romans 5:8). He made us relevant. Our new purpose becomes showing how relevant God truly is.

That is why I say it is a sin to bore people with the Bible. However, I pause at any methodology that is based on the assumption that we need to make Scripture relevant. It is the craziest, awesomest book ever. (Even deserving a new word like "awesomest.") We simply need to unleash it. Perhaps some (or many) of my students are not captivated when I teach them, and that is a mixture of my fault and theirs. (Junior highers don’t yet think abstractly, and I am a highly abstract thinker. So every word needs to be evaluated, illustrations that are, yes, relevant, employed, and my attitude and non-verbal language must exhibit the reality that I am very excited to speak about God.) Even still, it would be foolish to try so hard to sound smart or be cool that they don’t look past us to see God.

I say we quit tweaking His message to fit our tiny lives. Can we really improve on the greatest news ever? Our lives are meant to conform to His word and will (Romans 12:1-2). Unleash Christ and His Word, and let the Savior work. For that to happen, we need to be faithful to God’s truth, guard ourselves, and watch the Savior work (1 Timothy 4:11-16). Through the Gospel God will make us believers relevant in the eyes of the Father, Son and Spirit. We know They love us; and even like us. It feels great to be relevant.

• Update: speaking of Boring , Russell Moore has a great take on the topic .

The problem with such reasoning is three-fold (at least):

1. First, it makes Jesus merely a good person
2. Second, it rests on the notion that we are good people too
3. Third, it makes Jesus sacrifice in our place merely incidental

We must walk in Jesus’ steps (1 John 2:6), and abiding as God’s children (John 1:12) and Christ-followers is the pathway of a disciple. Because He suffered, we will too (John 16). We are not above our Master. This road will not be easy, even if His burden is light (eternally, Matthew 11:28-30). Following Him is a non-negotiable. He cannot be your Savior if He does not call the shots as your Master.

But Jesus did something you and I cannot do. He satisfied God’s wrath once-and-for-all. No other sacrifice is needed (Hebrews 10:30). In fact, if we come to God with our own good works in our hands we will leave rejected and condemned. We are not good enough, and our motives are mixed. It is not just a record of wrongs, it is a deeper issue. We prefer anything more than God. Our sin runs to the core of who we are. Only the One Son perfectly obeyed the Father and willingly died. Only Jesus was in perfect harmony with God. That is why His death was no accident, for He came for that very reason (Luke 9:51; Luke 18:31-33).

The cross was not a unique experience. Thousands of others have died as common criminals in the horrific Roman way of execution. Jesus’ physical pain in the flogging and scourging, the nails driven through His wrists and feet, was nothing compared the great anguish and pain He would experience from His Father (Matt. 26-37-38).

Today on Good Friday we consider a man who was the Good-est. He was the Best Man Ever. He was pure and innocent. Perfect. God came as a Man.

Our sin condemned Him. He willingly endured the rejection of His friends, the religious and government leaders, and the desertion of His closest followers. But the real pain He was to endure was the fierce cup of His Father’s wrath. This cup of wrath (Isaiah 51:17) was meant for us — disobedient, arrogance, anything-other-than-God-choosing, rebels — but willingly taken by Jesus Himself. It was my cup. It was yours. You killed Him. So did I.

But in the end, the Father crushed His Son. For our sake and for His. To welcome us enemies as friends, us strangers as family. In the Garden Jesus reversed the curse that came upon us in the first Garden. He not only made atonement for our sins (as acts), He made possible a reversal of our identity as sinners (our bent and depraved nature).

Jesus joyfully endured the cross, despised the shame and sat down victorious over sin, death and Satan. He rose again in triumph, the killer of all His enemies. The joy of His Father compelled Him to endure all things (Hebrews 12:1-2). To Him, it was worth everything. The joy of our Father must compel us too. Our good works must be rooted in The One Good Work. More than doing-what-Jesus-would-do, we need WHAT JESUS DID . He did it all, He paid the price. We cannot add to it. Any addition on our part would be subtraction, for we would be assuming that God needed our help to make all things right. Even in all our doing, we must never forget what He Did. We must never stop believing. Flee yourselves; trust in Him alone.

Jesus drank the cup we deserved, so we can freely drink the cup of salvation — offered free and all of grace. Drink His cup to the full. He drank yours, all of it.

He has done it. There was no other way (Mark 14:35).

"Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?" (John 18:11)

"He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all …" (Romans 8:32)

"Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer." (Isaiah 53:10)

"God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Yesterday, however, I sensed God’s Spirit telling me to shut up a couple times when I apparently thought what I had to say was important. (James 2:19) Thankful for our gracious church leaders and staff, and my wordiness weakness can be overlooked because of God’s grace displayed through one another.

People are more important than what I have to say, and I’m getting better at living in that reality.

The Scottish Scougal (1650-1678) (whom I’ve mentioned before) died of tuberculosis at 28 years old, yet his enduring legacy through from his most well-known book: The Life of God in the Soul of Man. The book is a description of Christianity to a friend with additional spiritual counsel for daily life. The title alone — that God’s very life can live in us people — is the best summary I’ve found of what it means to be “in Christ.” Few books affected the Puritans like this one, and our generation deserves to mine the riches of what it means to experience God’s life at work in us. We settle for so little of Him and so much of ourselves.

Here’s another great quote from Scougal deep in theology, but practical enough to apply to daily life: “The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love.”

“In Christ” the change is so radical, for we are not just tweaking lives. We become enabled to love God first and completely. God doesn’t just do things for us (forgiveness), He actually shares with us His nature, residing in His Church (indwelling). In the process He “ruins” us for His glory. This change, though gradual, is God overwhelming our old nature with His, for we experience this:

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Or, as we will study this weekend in our church:

“8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 3:8-15).

We have been made alive, by God’s power, and live today in the energy of His glory (Col. 1:29).

The short video below beautifully illustrates life change — metamorphosis — from one form to another. In Christ we change from dead beings to completely alive, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

Metamorphosis from Glenn Marshall on Vimeo.

He is of course, the source of time, though He lives outside it. He did step into our world, the fulness of God dwelling in bodily form (Col. 1:19). Which got me thinking about the New Year, and how this one-second holiday leads to 31,535,999 more seconds full of opportunity after it — in 2009.

Every. Second. Counts.

Then one of Edwards’ resolutions comes to mind. Number five is:

Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

Which leads me back to God and the Scriptures. In the final chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he exhorts them to:

" Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Col. 4:5-6)

Knowing how to answer everyone as we "ought," echoes back a few verses — to prayer and thanksgiving:

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak." (Col. 4:2-4)

Two descriptions of one type of person: a praying and thankful person. Have you noticed that thankful (and joyful) people are quite attractive to others. People are magnetically drawn to speak with joyful people who speak in thankful tones, and see hope in every circumstance.

Praying and thankful people also see God as the Source of everything. The source of every second. And this reality leads them to pray, seeking Him, with enjoyment, for prayer is not a duty when you delight in God. He takes great pleasure in our asking. Plus, thankful people don’t spend most of their time in prayer simply asking. They are more content to utter praise and thanks, which then leads to asking the One we adore to do more, so we can praise and thank Him.

Paul writes about the same in a parallel letter:

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." (Eph. 5:15-16)

Since our good God is the Source of all things, and Jesus came to purchase us the opportunity to live God-centered lives in 2009, let’s resolve to allow Him to be the Source and Object of every second this year. He’s worthy.

So much more is at stake in daily life. Whereas a basketball game is only a few moments, life spans years. Habits and routines. Life is made up of a million little choices and experiences, each moving us towards wholeness or away from it. By default, we will experience the hectic chaos of entropy: lives out of rhythm with God and the Gospel. Resist the urge to live in defeat by keeping in step with the Spirit. He desires it. God writes to us:

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. …
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." (Galatians 5:16-26, vv. 16, 25 here)

There we see the connection of life and daily walking with the Spirit of Life, which plays out in a thousand directions and creative opportunities to love God and others every day.

Also, this is not just a "religious" rhythm. That is, walking with the Spirit is in all of life, including how we treat our bodies, what we eat, what we take-in for our minds to consume, and how we think and relate to others, for just a short list. People who are unhealthy in one area of life may be outside of God’s will and not as useful for His Kingdom purposes.

That isn’t to say that we should be completely healthy and wealthy materially in this life. Often it’s quite the opposite: if we are cultivating contentedness with very little and in much weakness (see Phil. 4), then Christ’s strength and His creativity will may a way for our "poor" and "weak" lives to be full of Gospel rhythm. Thus we will be "healthy and wealthy" in the only ways that truly matter: rich towards God and generous towards others. (Jesus became poor so that we could become rich in Him (2 Cor. 8:9).) But, if you are feeding your addictions and living lives out of whack, then we won’t have the bandwidth, let alone be in rhythm, to see outside ourselves.

On a personal note: I finally feel like I’m getting into a rhythm of daily life with our new church and in a better trajectory of personal health. I’ve been able to take up running again, and hope to work these feet back into basketball shape sometime. Oddly enough, the snow is what may have contributed to it. While I couldn’t do any running, it did help with relationships. "Slow down" was the clear message. Many of us remarked that it was God’s gift at this time of Advent, to send us some sabbath rest with family, unable to busy our lives to much under the tyranny of the urgent.Yes, there is much to do, but the harmony and rhythm of a life lived wrapped around God and His Gospel is showing in the lives around us. Praise Jesus for His work of harmony. He has rhythm.

Recently I wrote a paper, and the professor especially liked one section I wrote:

"… two things become apparent to me. One, God does not use lazy people. And two, those who are greatly used by God realize that it does not depend upon them.  Dwelling in and enjoying the tension of this apparent paradox has been my short journey as a servant and child of God."

The paper was about relationships among church leaders, and one pillar of camaraderie I wrote about was diligence . There is no substitute for hard work, and hard working people gain more fuel from the journey by coming into contact with one another. Yet, for all our hard work, we release that this work of God depends upon Him, not us. A person  around me for any length of time knows I love to swim the depths of what I call "happy tensions," the paradoxes of the universe worth exploring.

Consider the happy tension the Apostle Paul writes of (in v. 29 esp.):

"24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. " ( Colossians 1:24-29 )

He was diligent beyond himself by an energy beyond himself. Oh the happy tension of a life lived in the power of God Almighty!

What I mean is that in ten days I will be finished with this semester’s course work, and able to delve more deeply into the life of our new church community as Associate Pastor. This has been my life calling and this first month has been an incredible new adventure. Last night I sat down with our Elders over a meal and then conversed back and forth about the dreams and hopes and even obstacles to the vision we share in our community and beyond. God is over-the-top good.

I sense I revival in the small chalk circle around me. Seminary is great for mind, illuminating to the soul, and deeply affects my heart. As I’m not graduating (just taking a break), that experience will continue for a few more years. Yet, with my bandwidth limited as a finite human being, there are books and people and projects I’ve been putting off attending to. Soon some of those will be within touch. And thus I am praying for God to so overwhelm my heart, as He has been, that His passion and drive and zeal and wisdom overflow into this new adventure with our new church. It already has, just that I’ve had to temper myself with some time boundaries that will expand once this semester’s classes are over. Ten days; finish well, my soul.

Perhaps you can join me in this single-minded passion:

"Him [JESUS] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."

What an ambition! How can we work towards this end? Paul reminds us of the One power:

"For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me." ( Colossians 1:28-29 )

Thankful to be commissioned with that charge, and able to serve full-time in the Gospel. Yet, with a packed schedule, I haven’t yet been able to devote these energies completely toward this end. That’s because as a mere man I can only devote myself so much to various responsibilities. Being a husband and father are at the top of this man’s list, behind (and in no way competing with) being a child and servant of the King, the Creator God Almighty. Those two roles are my most beloved, and without doing them well I would be disqualified from much of any other roles I enjoy. My other two primary roles in life are Associate Pastor and as a seminary student. (Full-time for each those hats mentioned.) So, something has had to give. Late nights and early mornings (as today) have helped keep this learner focused and working towards accomplishing what is on this plate. (Plus this A-student has realized that a few B’s are in God’s will during this season!)

For those still with me, the first thought of this post was aimed at mentioning a two-part interview Tim Keller had with Darryl Dash. Check it out: parts one and two . The topic is effective ministry in a changing culture. And as he does in most things, Tim Keller writes and speaks like a prophet to the church and to culture, not being afraid to disrupt our little Evangelical bubble. Curiously, he is able to do one of the things I love (making people feel a bit uncomfortable) by helping them not realize they are uncomfortable at the moment. Such it is with the gospel of grace, how it reveals the truth of how awful we are while be oh so compellingly awesome and beautiful. Enjoy the tension, and appreciate the Jesus-centered vision he and others speak of.

Back to the revival theme. In part one of the interview Keller talks about what it takes for true revival to take place, and what its fruit becomes. In rightly focusing on a full-throttle emphasis on the gospel of grace , he notes:

When revival breaks out through a recovery of the gospel, three things happen:

1. nominal church members realize they’d never been converted;
2. sleepy, lethargic Christians are energized and renewed;
3. outsider non-Christians are attracted into the beautified worship, community and lives of the converted and renewed church members.

That’s how it works. We need it.

Well said. Read the rest, starting here .

It is the lens through which we are to see, and the engine for what should drive us in life. We are far worse than we realize, yet, in Christ, far more loved than we every imagined. God relates to us totally on the basis of His free grace. We cannot earn, should not deceive ourselves into thinking we could or should, and God has designed that we can only relate to Him rightly on the basis of the finished work of His Son. He treated Jesus like He was us, so He could treat us who trust in Christ like we are Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

A friend recently noted — in speaking on the theme of thankfulness — that those who truly get the Gospel, are thankful people. Period. Contrastingly, those who are bitter and complaining, well, they don’t get "it." (See complaining Israel in the OT; cf. 1 Cor. 10.)

If we have tasted of Christ we become changed beings, transformed by grace and living in it. Oh how I want to get "it" today, all over again.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

That’s shorthand for the Gospel.

Before Christ rescued me, I did not even know who John was, what the 3 meant, and especially why there was a colon before 16. When my eyes went open to see the light of the glory of Christ who is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4-6 ), this truth became the deep end in which I have swam for twelve years now. The more I swim in it, the more I see my need for Jesus. Having been saved, I need to continually be saved, and one day look oh so eagerly to the final redemption.

Another 3:16

Another 3:16 is worth meditating on all the same. It comes into practical life in a powerful way. Let us consider James 3:16 :

"For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice."

Think about how that truth relates to leadership . Since leadership is influence, we are all leaders on some level — in our homes, in our workplaces, in public and private — is there a disorder and chaos because of my ambitions? The command denominator in all my problems is me — a truth we must each own up to. Yet Christ can move us past ourselves, compelled by His truth, beauty and love, to live above the level of ourselves. Where He is, there is no disorder, for He is renewing and recreating all things, especially us (Col. 3:10).

Let’s continually explore our own motives, check our ambitions, and remove the idols of control, allowing a free worship of God in the Gospel of grace. For the sake of others, and ourselves.

"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water."

Notice that portion in vv. 9 & 10. The duplicity — and power (vv. 5-8) — of our words is astonishing. We used to chant the lie, that "sticks and stones … but words will never hurt me." That’s totally false. Words are far more destructive than any object thrown. At least with sticks and stones the damage is seen, and visible reminder. Yet, words can wound far deeper, and the scars remind though hidden.

The point is illustrated deeply in my own mind as I contemplate my son’s increasing vocabulary (all dozen or so words), and think of how he said "Bible" for the first time today. Wow.

Someday he will realize the infinite worth of the Book he is talking about — I hope and pray his eyes go open as God shines His light. Yet, today, I am really his best connection to what the Bible is all about. Do I bless God, and speak of and from the Bible, and then turn around and reveal a disdain for people, for whom Christ died? He sees it when I do. And although he cannot speak in sentences, he certainly can think complete thoughts. He is arriving at conclusions about our Creator on the basis of our few hours together each day. I speak and pray in front of my son: that God is our Father. Who is Dutch’s father? Does he see a correlation, and will he desire to know this Father whom I love and know and weep at His sheer grace. Is that coming across to my son?

Kari assures me I’m doing well. Yet as a father — twice now — these thoughts weigh on me, as they should. And I hope and pray to be like my own Dad who always has joyful and pleasant words, who is a gentle man who radiates care as a father should.

Resolve to make our words personal

Can we resolve to use our words for the building up of one another?

• Have you recently harmed someone with words, even in a small way? Will you resolve to take practical, even humiliating steps, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation?
• Or, perhaps it is the other way around: How can you forgive them in love?
• Start with those you are connected to. If getting out of that rut seems insurmountable, with and the bickering, complaining and sarcasm, then start "small."
• Begin with those who may seem to be of little importance, on the fringe of your daily life — like those who pump your gas, serve your feed, and drive your kid’s school bus. We can tell a lot about a person by how he or she treats people who supposedly are not adding value to our lives. Are we adding value to theirs?
• Have you realized they may be having a worse day than you are? (Have I realized that?)

Take an interest in them, and in doing so, lose yourself in the beauty of what it means for all persons to be image-bearers of our Creator. Each one of us is marred and worse off than we realize, yet more loved than we dared imagine.

Let’s speak to one another (as made in the image/likeness of God) like we are speaking to Christ, who is The Image of God. That is how it is supposed to be.

Here are the top five lessons I (think I) have learned over this past 50 month journey and beyond. All are interconnected:

1. People are more important that what they do. Personalizing it: I am not what I do . That is, my identity is rooted in Christ, not my performance. I work from significance in Christ, not for it, as the Gospel would have it. (Repeat that last sentence with me! This message never grows old, and must be the cornerstone of a daily life. We must preach that application of the Christ’s glorious grace to ourselves every day.) In this season, I had to learn to do a few things well. To be fine with not being a perfectionist (okay, I am a recovering one). To release myself from forming a tiny view of life, all centered on me and what I am doing. I was a chronic do-er five years ago, and will never be that again, by the grace of God. Reality is, I work harder now, more efficiently, and am more content to simply BE, motivated by the Gospel.
2. Life is meant to have rhythm. Walking in step with the Spirit is a relationship worth fighting like heaven to keep vital. He is the One working in me to fulfill God’s ultimate purposes. Some people like to refer to life as being in "balance," and I probably should like that word as an engineer-type. It sounds so mathematical. Yet, it fails to see life in proper perspective, for we are not weighing things against one another (the definition of balance), but seeing them come together in harmony. Some like to pit propositional statements of faith against the story of faith. Jesus against Paul. The Bible against the Spirit. Truth versus experience. That’s utter foolishness. They are not against one another, but serve one another in love. Inexplicably connected. For example, in the Gospel rhythms, my job does not compete with my family.They are interwoven in a beautiful work of art by the Father, Son and Spirit.
3. GOD is the Gospel ( tag | search ). If there is one message I hope to bring to the local church, it is this one (along with the view that the Gospel is for all of life, even for Christians). I read the book by that title in 2006 while on hiatus from seminary (Kari was pregnant, I focused on working to provide for us). Lightning struck my soul. It is essentially 180 pages of meditation on two primary verses: 2 Corinthians 4:4,6 . Wow. All things exist and move towards the public display of God’s infinite worth (His glory). Since God Himself is the great good of the Gospel, entering into relationship like Him is like diving into a pool, not just off a diving board. As God is meant to permeate all of life, the Gospel is meant for all of life (like a living room, as opposed to simply the doorway to new life).
4. All of life is preparation. God will, as a loving Father, use every means possible shape us into the image of His Son ( Romans 8:28-30 , Hebrews 12 ). This process of sanctification (purifying) is deep and lasting, and cannot happen without pain, tragedy, relationships (including conflict and resolution) triumphs, and dependence. As a single man I began to see the need for Lamentations 3:25-33 and Habakkuk 3:17-19 become reality in my own life, asking God to shape me into the kind of man who praises Him no matter the circumstance. Doing that deep work requires preparation, which requires suffering. From a broken vertebrae that remains today, to relational brokenness, to physical pain in my feet, to disappoints of various sorts, there is no end to the design of God’s good for us through these experiences.
5. My life is meant to be wrapped about God’s story, not Him around mine. This couples with the others, and specifically #4, as God’s story is simply bigger than teeny, tiny me. That is because the Gospel is not merely good advice. It is the Good News — check that — the best news possible, that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all His enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe in Him, but only everlasting joy in God. Thus, God and His Word are the ultimate reality. I don’t apply the Bible to my life, I rather press my life into His Word, applying my life to Him. This is more than semantics, for each of us is prone to by default live for the glory of ourselves, to seek to further our own kingdom. I am a servant of King Jesus. I am part of His Kingdom. He holds the keys to the future, and I gladly submit to His leading, whatever that entails. As all good story feature conflict and resolution, the Grand Story of the Bible being played out in the universe by the Triune God is the best possible mixture of both.
6. (Just like yesterday there are six. Forgive me.) Faithfulness is our part, fruitfulness is God’s. Actually, our faithfulness is enabled by His ( Phil. 2:12-13; 1 John 5:3 ). Kari and I remind one another weekly that our home and family is the first ministry. Being faithful starts here. For whatever "success" I find in vocation, in being a pastor, in whatever, it is worthless if I fail as a faithful husband and loving father. That is the definition of success.

From these lessons I formed the chief objective of my life: To help everyone breathing know the one and only Triune God, in Christ, better than they know anyone or anything else, and to love and enjoy Him together more than anyone or anything else in all the world.

Ever a life-long learner (through all eternity), swimming in the depths of the Gospel and seeing how necessary these truths are, and looking for more to discover.

• Tomorrow I’ll share 5 lessons learned over these last 50 months . For now, here are five signposts along the journey to being a pastor (stretching back before these last 4+ years).

In 1998 I first sensed Christ’s call to enter the ministry. My heart and mind was electrified as a sophomore at OSU, an engineering student, and oh so fed up with how far behind I was spiritually. In that day, specifically Super Bowl weekend in late January, He ignited in me a spark that grew larger and larger, coupled with an insatiable desire for God’s Word. Those college years and serving in the local church and on the OSU campus were invaluable experiences. Many lessons learned, lots of failure. More grace. The relational connections made still remain firmly intact. The Gospel was our chief unifying reality. I have been blessed to see fellow students, and then my own students from Real Life and the School of Ministry forge ahead in their part of God’s grand story.

In 2003 I was graciously enabled to marry the woman of my dreams. Kari, I l. No matter what "success" I achieve as a pastor, my first duty is to be a faithful husband and loving father. Before God, let all these other things serve to reinforce that trajectory, not divert from it. Without you, Dutch, and now Heidi, this journey would not be worth taking.

Fifty months ago (2004) Kari and I took the plunge and moved to another state for the sake of my becoming a pastor in the official sense for the first time. Until then I had been "pastoring" in many ways, and while I knew the title would not add an inch to my stature, it was to be a significant jump in responsibility before God and men. And boy was it. Nothing like we imagined, and I never did became a "pastor" in the official sense. We felt "shelved." But God broke me, and rebuilt me again to be the kind of man who loves Him more than a title and is willing to suffer for the Gospel. People became real to me. The Gospel went deeper. Christ became huge, more than adequate and satisfying. We look back fondly on that season now with the vantage point of having come through it. Warren Wiersbe in On Being a Servant of God reminds us to not ask God to get us out of our trials, but to ask Him, "What do You want me to get out of this trial?" God had a whole different plan for us, a crucible of what seemed like an endless string of disappointments. Our character needed it. I thank Him for it — without reservation — and would not for a million dollars trade any of those experiences. Please don’t sign me up for it again, our good Father, but I would not go back and chart a different course.

In 2005 we came back to Oregon, continuing in a career of construction management  in construction for my good friend Ben was the sweet spot of God’s will for us at the time. As were were a growing company, and I needed to gain credibility with the crew, I took to being the lowest grunt of the lot, moving aluminum shoring and pipes, and finally getting some good callouses from hands fully engaged in some good manual labor. Installing sewer lines 8 feet below the ground surface and mortoring up manholes was a crucible for learning. I remember the guys often asking me during lunch, "They didn’t teach you that in college, eh, Mr. Civil Engineer!?" I thank them for it. During the process I learned that nothing is secular, the construction workers need the Gospel just like I do, and that all circumstances are "sacred" in that they are meant to be used for worshipping God. Without those "silent years" we would not be here (positionally, and certainly not ready in our character). I learned to practice God’s joy in all of life, especially the mundane things. That is why I plead with people to find their identity in Christ alone and not in what they do. Funny to thing back how my move into the office became official when on the eve of Thanksgiving I ran over my left foot with the Jeep Wrangler. (Yeah, it really hurt, and I walk with a slight limp today.)

Also in 2005 we also became students again. A couple years earlier we had wanted to go to seminary (in Chicago, we thought), but Christ had some pre-graduate school preparation for us (see above). Now, we were able to do this together , both as students, and those Friday-only classes and one night course during that first year at Multnomah was a unique experience. Not sure how we managed the 90 minute commute both ways (fuel was much cheaper), but that time did serve to be like mini "dates" for Kari and I. We entered seminary as a young married couple, and when Kari graduates this year she will have given birth to two children while a student. (She’s incredible, by the way…)

So much more could be said. Dutch was born around Christmas 2006, and our lives have been changed for the better because of him. Last year we lived with Kari’s parents, on purpose, and it was a tremendous experience for Dutch. For us, it showed us how much we love family, need them, and love to live on our own again Without it, we would have had to quit seminary. The last year of interning with Foothills Community Church has been mightily used of God. He reprogrammed me in many ways, especially relationally, bringing out lessons and things from our experiences through Pastor Dale’s care and mentoring. Again, without them, we would not be who and where we are today.

Some may be thinking — are they done with seminary? Not exactly. Kari will finish her last class in December and then graduate in May with a MA in Pastoral Studies with a concentration in Women’s Ministry. I will close out this semester, take a bit off, and then (probably, open to revision, as the above story proves!) take one class at a time when possible. Since pastoring (again, a verb) and serving the local church was and is the "end goal," seminary has served that purpose in part, and I hope to see it continue towards an MDiv (at least 2/3 complete now). We wouldn’t be here without Multnomah , in more ways than one. We love our professors, the staff, fellow students, and alums!

(Okay, this is six…) Today Christ has more of me than He did back then. Some like to talk about returning to their first love (see Rev. 2 ). For me, returning to that teeny, tiny love would be going backwards, for my vision of Christ and seeing as the ultimate cause, reason, object and satisfaction of my life is far greater today than it was then. Truly, all of life is preparation .

Helping others know, love and enjoy God above all else,

JP

We aren’t gossiping
We’re blogging!
Anything juicy you want to share?

How ridiculous is that? Here is one of the largest blogging platforms out there essentially clamoring to the stereotype — that blogging is just words about nothing, just like gossip is a total waste of time (and unhelpful, hurtful, etc.).

Which led me to ponder as I drove home, Why blog?

Kari can extol the virtues of what writing in general, and blogging specifically, means to her. My wonderful wife sometimes does not even know exactly what she thinks about an every day issue until she writes. And what appears out on her site is a fraction of her writing in daily life. She is always weaving a healthy web of words, reflecting, rejoicing, re-wording, and simply thinking away. Actually, her style is more “free” — just sit down and crank away. Thankfully she types as fast as any person I’ve ever met (Cortez Peters, anyone?) – on a miniature keyboard at that. Wish I could communicate half as well as she can, in written and spoken word.

Me? Well, blogging is an outlet for short snippets of thought. Quotes, reflections, some humor (always borrowed), a tad of creativity (again, borrowed) and always connected to Christ, to His Gospel, the church, and to culture (people). Politics are not the savior of our world, so I don’t meddle in that arena here. I watch very little TV (but like friends who actually own one, so I can come over and watch college football!), and read many books albeit slowly. Words and thoughts and ideas matter. Sometimes they seem to matter enough to share. As a pastor I will continue to blog, probably much less frequently, but intentionally, for some of the reasons outlined on the DG Blog.

I hope to see everything through the Gospel (as a lens), and by the Gospel (as the engine for living). By it I realize I live and breath and work from significance in Christ, not for it.

I don’t entertain any thoughts that I’ll be published any day, so this is the closest I’ll ever come. Never will reach ‘elite’ status, but since words matter (and people matter too), and not many people are out there saying anything substantial, I will toss mine out there. Without substantial truth, derived for the self-revealing Triune God Creator Redeemer, we will have tiny, insignifant lives. With Him, our tiny pebble makes a ripple, many ripples, effecting a sphere far wider than our little pond would seem.

So, my great ambition in writing is that people look past me. That’s the juicy thing I want to share. Walk away from here with Jesus. I aim that others see Jesus, and His infinite worth, work and ways.

Yeah, I blog because of Him. (2 Cor. 5:9)

A person with more faith would have looked at our similar meeting two weeks ago and see that as the watershed moment. It really was, and it came as kind of a surprise. That was the day I was offered the role/position of associate pastor with this particular local church. The fact that I was rejoicing then, but then fell into some patches of discouragement until it all become official, shows my own fickle nature and weakness. We fell into a little bit of despondency in the two weeks between the ministry job being offered and signing on the dotted line.

Why?

Well, for one: we are weak, as I already mentioned. More specifically, I know that an experience in recent years with a church has painfully shaped our perspective (about which you can read Kari’s retelling here , with names and places changed). To be fair, none of the church leaders acted out of malice, and while the church leaders are forgive, it is not forgotten as lessons on what not-to-do to developing leaders. It must also be said that without that season of preparation we would not be here today (nor ready for it in our character). My view of God’s absolute sovereignty and the necessity of pain in life as the great way for God to shape us have come from seasons like that in the crucible. More will come, I’m sure.

Earlier this week I was talking to my good friend Adam and mentioned feeling uneasy, like our new church leaders were somehow going to back out of the verbal agreement (a totally unfounded thought!). He stopped me in mid-sentence on the phone: "That _______ experience has scarred you, hasn’t it?" He was and is totally right. I was not voicing this pessimistic attitude publicly, but it was in my heart, and it came out in this private conversation between two close friends. Kari and I have been continually pouring out our hearts to our Great God to change us from viewing life through the lens of pain only (but a right view of suffering is key, see Romans 5 & 8). I needed his perspective.

This process has shown me that (1) my heart and mind are still in some way scarred from past painful experiences, (2) I underestimate the kindness and grace of God, and (3) He will do anything necessary to keep me from worshipping His gifts over Him (including the agonizing process of realizing I am doing just that).

Oh, how thankful I am for our new church leaders . (And our current ones, by the way, as we transition out this month.) Our reception to our new church home, among the leaders, looks to be the exact opposite of our fears. The exact opposite, almost point by point, than what took place in 2004-05. [Example: 50 months ago we arrived at our new church home in another state and ran into the senior pastor in the parking lot. He didn't recognize me nor remember our names -- "We're Jeff and Kari from Oregon," I reminded -- "Oh yeah. You're here?" -- and apparently hadn't given a thought about our coming, even though he was the one who offered me the job and had been in seemingly constant contact. Our "apartment" on the church property was still being lived in, full of trash, and no one knew we were coming, even after talking twice that previous week over the phone. Looking back we laugh at how ridiculous it was; my father-in-law shakes his head and wonders why he let us unpack the moving van; in the moment we were like deer in headlights.]

What a different picture it was yesterday , as we walked in for our meeting, all the staff popped out of their offices and welcomed us to the family — they obviously knew we were coming, more than we did! During the meeting our new church leaders talked about how they wanted to throw a couple parties to welcome us. The contrast is startling. (I am purposefully being vague and not naming the church community here — but will in the coming weeks.)

Over these two weeks we could have counseled our hearts more, specifically on the key topic Kari is delving into: Expectancy vs. Expectations and especially the Disappointment & Fulfillment Cycles . As God our Father is such a good Father and so intentionally faithful, nothing is wasted. No painful experience, and certainly not these fleeting lowly fears nor these oh so encouraging highs, will fail to serve their intended purposes in the development of our character ( Romans 5:1-5 ).

What a joy to be cared for so well. That’s why I couldn’t sleep last night. Pray for us, as there is a unique art to shaping one’s soul around the Gospel (and not it around one’s self), worshipping God and not the thing He has given .

Oh, what a happy tension. Clearly, my impact for Christ is not limited to my finite ability nor imperfect obedience.

“What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. ” (1 Cor. 3:5-7)

What am I talked about? Visa, MasterCard, American Express?

Nope. You can live a whole life without those.

But, you cannot live a second of your life without the Gospel. That is because we need Jesus … always.

The more I talk with church leaders and people, the more I think we have largely missed the Gospel.

We think of it as the starting point, or the diving board (to use my favorite home-grown analogy). We don’t just start at the Good News of Jesus and then move onto maturity in the Christian life focusing on other things. We never, ever, ever outgrow our need for Jesus. He is everything, and whatever keeps you from Him is sin. Period.

Because you need Jesus every second, you need the Gospel every second. He is the one Mediator between God the Father and us sinners, and without Him we would be consumed in an instant.

Yet, how easy is it to leave the Gospel and start related to God on the basis of ___________? (Insert whatever you hope in by default.)

Some of us trust in the fact that we once trusted in Jesus. Like He is a ticket to heaven, and we can simply put Him (or our faith-in-Him) in our pocket to use later. No, no, no. HE is the good news of God’s glorious grace, for in Jesus we get God (1 Peter 3:18 ). Do you want Him?

Note how Paul ended his greatest letter, to the Romans: "Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ…" (Romans 16:25 ).

Who was he writing to? Christians (or at least mostly Christians), who still needed the Gospel daily to be strengthened, encouraged, and to persevere. We need outgrow our need for the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus is not just for the unsaved. It is for everyone.

How do you get a daily reminder of the Gospel? Do you preach it to yourself? You should. Don’t wait until Sunday. You may not even here it then.

Take the Gospel with you. Don’t ever leave home without it.

Today I noticed Google has changed their favicon. Their new digs look pretty sweet, I think. The old G was distinct, and this g might just be more versatile.

I’m a fan of favicons since it is one of the easiest way to give a distinct flavor to a site, to "brand" it. In fact, I use them all over my computer, for icons on shortcuts, and have a secret webpage with all my most-used links on it, each with a 32×32px icon.

Here are a few I created and use in various places:

1. Kari’s site
2. deTheos icon. The trias is an ancient symbol of the Trinity : God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Spirit, all One yet Three. My life goal is to know, love and enjoy Them as much as possible, and help others do the same.
3. Another deTheos version
4. My small-time freelance design company, JackDutch Media
5. Our local church, Foothills Community Church in Molalla, where I will soon begin serving as Pastoral Intern for Education & Technology. (We’re in discussions and planning on implementing a new and better web presence this Summer)
6. The Jackalopes, my fantasy sports mascot for football and now baseball, although I’m not very good. Helps stay connected to friends from college. (A Jackalope is a cross between a jack rabbit and an antelope. "Jack" was my nickname in college, morphed into Jackal sometimes.)

“Transitioning One’s Soul to Finish the Day Well”