Thoughts about Luther

First,
I hate posting twice in a row because I feel like you're not going to go back and look at the other posts before this one if you didn't see it. So, let me encourage you to first look at the post from earlier today, because I want you to see my fall pictures! I'm proud of them! (And my puppy is cute!)

That said -
Now for this post.

I just finished watching the movie Luther, about Martin Luther (I'm sure you would've been able to piece that one together on your own - but just in case!) And even though at 12:30 at night (or in the morning, technically) I should be heading off to bed...I couldn't help myself but post of few thoughts/questions I had in light of what I saw.

First -
If a reformist within the Protestant group of Christians were to post our version of the 95 Theses to the modern, Protestant (post-Luther) church, what would it include?

I ask this because there is plenty within the Southern Baptist doctrine alone that I think disregards the intent of scripture. Just like the Pope, we are capable of errancy - so where have we, as the modern evangelical church, erred?

Second -
In the movie, a follower of Luther (following Luther's retreat into hiding from the papacy) begins to burn and vandalize the Catholic cathedrals, and persecute the Catholic priests, monks, etc. Martin Luther comes across one such incident, and the man claims to be doing it in his name - to be continuing the work he [Luther] would've been doing himself. Luther is, of course, angered at the man "not getting it", and doing something completely antagonistic to his intent and character. Luther's response to the man makes me wonder: Does Jesus see us having the same attitude at times? Do we as modern, evangelical Christians misrepresent Him and His Name and purposes?

My question to myself is - Do I deal with my frustrations with the modern church in a reforming way or in a destructive way?

And lastly -
In the extra stuff on the DVD, there are interviews with several cast members. One such member plays the role of Johann Tetzel. Tetzel was the first public antagonist of Luther. The actor who portrays him talks about what he did to prepare for the role. Do you have a clue to what his response was?

He watched hours upon hours of American TV Evangelists! Why? Because he wanted to perfect the attitude of being so stubbornly convinced of one's right-ness! Do you get it?! This man watched the most public, internationally recognized, embarrassing version of "evangelical Christianity" in order to perfect his portrayal of the people who were determined to hold fast to the belief that people had to buy their salvation, and that the common man shouldn't be allowed to read the Bible!

What does that mean to you? What emotions does that stir in you?

Finally!!

For all of you Northerns - Texas is what I like to call a "late bloomer" when it comes to Fall/Autumn scenery. Or anything related to the changing of seasons. In fact, the joke is that the four seasons in Texas are: almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.

But it finally happened! A few days away from December, our leaves are finally changing color! Of course, it is also 80 degrees outside- so, it's technically not "Fall" by legalistic standards! I guess it's an early version of our definition of the "Christmas season"! And at least the trees are getting into the spirit of things - because most of them are somewhere between the change, so they are currently red and green! Pretty cool effect, I think!

Anyhow - hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I am! If you are up north, maybe it brings some colorful joy to your snow-covered existance!

Happy Christmas Season!

More Thoughts on Grace & Works

So - I was responding to a post by my friend Margaret Feinberg. And she recommended that I copy and paste it to my own blog. Well, I don't know how to do that. My paste button doesn't work when I get to the "Create" page. So, I'll just have to sum up.

Yesterday I was randomly reading through my Bible (I'm not trying to sound spiritual - I don't do it as often as I should - and it really was random that all this happened.) And I opened it up to Romans 11 and started reading. As I was reading, some things started jumping out at me that caused me to have to back up a couple chapters to get the whole picture.

So after reading Romans 9-11 (which I highly recommend to you - just click the link to read it online), I visited Margaret's website (which I also highly recommend), and she talked about some insights regarding an ongoing conversation about a movie, but more about what God taught her in the midst of watching it. (See posts: Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Feeling Guilty, and Zooming with Motorcycle Diaries.) Anyways. . . you've gotta read all three posts in order, and the comments that go along with them to understand the progression - but the third post, Zooming..., blew me away! Especially because I read it right after reading Romans 9-11, and they totally fit together!

The gist of it is this:
Christians have become too similar to the Pharisees/Israelites discussed in the Romans passage because we too often sum up the Gospel as having something/anything to do with "keeping the Law" (as we currently define it, post-Jesus), instead of as the message/"Good News" of grace! Therefore, our efforts to fulfill the Great Commission are going sour because our message is getting off-track. And I'm not saying that our efforts aren't producing results - they just aren't producing the right results. We're creating more "law-abiding citizens", but not "prisoners set free". We're creating people who cover their sin in shame and guilt, instead of confessing and rejoicing that God's grace abounds (and delighting that their weaknesses display God's strength).

If you don't believe me -
First, ask yourself what we expect from a "non-believer" when we are witnessing? Do we want them to have new life, and a relationship with the intimate God, period? Or do we want the homosexual to turn straight, the smoker to quit, the promiscuous teenager to become abstinent, etc (while of course gaining a personal relationship with Jesus)? When you witness, or if you were to witness, is your thought that Jesus will change that person's behavior, or that he will change that person's eternal destination, or what? What is your expectation of Jesus? Not just for others, but even for you?
Second, ask your pastor or church counselor how many people they counsel concerning repetitive sin in the lives of those in your congregation. (Then multiply that by at least 5, to get a figure that includes those that are too ashamed to seek counsel.) Ask yourself how comfortable you would be standing up on a Sunday morning and confessing to your "brothers and sisters" how you've failed/fallen/sinned this week. Look around and wonder if the parents' were as joyful about Jesus 20 minutes ago when their families were supposed to be fed, dressed, and out the door in 5 minutes! Is what you see on Sunday a true reflection of living life Monday-Saturday? More importantly, are we honest about how hard Monday-Saturday was when we're in the midst of the Sunday morning "refuge"? Or are we as dishonest as we can possibly be?

Here are more semi-rhetorical questions:
~What would your reponse be if there were people smoking at the front entrance of your church before entering for worship? What would your response be if you watched them during the service and their worship-style seemed exuberant and authenticly passionate in light of what you witnessed beforehand?

~What was your reponse to Amy Grant's "fall"? How do you feel about Amy's return to the Christian music industry? Do you listen to her music these days? If not, why not?

~If your pastor were to confess this Sunday, an addiction to pornography or an affair, what would you expect of him following the confession? Would you think he should step down?

Here are my "the-heart-of-it" questions: How willing are you to extend grace? How much do you demand some level of works in the midst of grace? Is the grace you extend truly a free gift or are there hidden fees?

Just some food for thought. Heavy rich food in my opinion, because it's giving me a lot to chew on also. (I don't have answers to all my questions.) But I am becoming ever intrigued by what a big deal grace is! How huge is the expanse of it as it infects (or more often convicts) my day-to-day living! Please feel free to respond if you are so-moved/led.

An Observation

Today, many of my friends have headed to the poll-booths around town, to caste their vote one way or the other in regards to same-sex marriage. Obviously, in light of previous posts, you might have guessed the political bias of the majority of my friends.

One of those friends even called to remind me to make sure and go vote. I've learned in life (especially during bridal showers) that a good rule of thumb for all relationships is: pick your battles. So, I chose not to let on that I had no intention of voting today.

So, all that to say - this is my observation. Take it or leave it. It is pretty well-known that evangelical Christians, as a generalization, cause quite an uproar in conversations regarding free will vs. election/predestination. Many place high value on the theology that centers on man's free will to choose whether to live "rightly" or "wrongly". To choose to "follow Christ" or "sin". How often have I heard that God's relationship with man hinges on the understanding that we have the power to choose or reject him. And that it was incredibly important to God that we have that freedom.

And yet, today, those same evangelicals are fighting like crazy to prevent that same mankind from really having that option in regards to the kind of marriage relationship they choose. How many evangelicals (and others in the Christian community who might not classify themselves as such) are making this decision an important, landmark statement of faith. To prevent their fellow human beings (Christian or not) from having the freedom to choose what Christians would say is God's ideal for marriage. What they believe to be "right".

I just find it an interesting observation, that these Christians don't want to allow one another the same freedom they will fight like crazy to maintain is central to God's character.

So that's why I'm not voting. (If you're curious about the matter.) I don't think it's my place to decide whether or not someone is revoked of the freedom to not choose God's way over their own. (Of course, it's an ironic statement because I lean more toward calvinistic theology than my friends.) It's not really that I agree with the other side. I just don't think the decision as a whole is my business. It's not my call. Each person has a choice to make every day. To develop intimacy with God, or not. And I believe that intimacy affects the choices we make. I can't make that decision for them. And I can't tell them which one to choose. I can express the joy I've personally experienced from choosing God's way over my own. But the decision is entirely theirs, and the consequences, blessings, and results of that decision are theirs also. It seems out of line to take it upon myself to limit their freedom.

So, that is my two cents on that subject. Maybe it gives you a new insight to chew on, maybe it makes you incredibly mad. Either way - you're thinking about it!

My Three "A-HAs"

I love being surrounded by Christians for a weekend. (Insert small drops of sarcasm).
Don't get me wrong, it's not all bad. I did come away analyzing, questioning, searching, forming new opinions and arguments. And that's where I am.

I attended a conference for "20 and 30 somethings" called Fusion in Irving on Saturday. It was part of our college groups DNow Weekend activities. I went last year and loved it. This is its second year of existance - so check out the website, and try to attend if you can (Orlando in February, and Denver in April - or Dallas next year!)

Anyways...so I've been struggling the past few weeks with the questions: What is my passion? What would be my ideal career? What was I created to do for the rest of my life?

Obviously missions, in some sense of the word (meaning: maybe as a vocation, definitely as a lifestyle), is part of my answer. But what drives me? What stirs my soul? What would I want to do all day, go home, go to bed, get up, and do all over again the next day, for every next day I have? I still don't know the answers. But I think I'm closer.

A woman by the name of Margaret Feinberg spoke at the conference. And I mean it, she was speaking directly to me! She was making statements that have been pounding in my soul the last few weeks. Like being in a place of not having a direction and working a series of part-time, non-careerish jobs and knowing that there's something out there that would ignite me...I just have to find it! That's exactly where I am! And so it was cool, because God revealed to her, when she was in that place, her passion for writing. And now, a few books later, she's experiencing that igniting thing! I went to her break-out session. And she talked about creativity (which I think is another piece of my "passion-puzzle"), and how it is given/entrusted to us for three things. 1) To bring us back to the Creator. 2) So that we can give it to others as a means of blessing and encouragement. And 3) For us, as a gift from God to us, so that it causes our soul to come alive!

So, that was my first "A-HA" moment of the weekend.

The second "A-HA" happend on Saturday night, while Lance Shumake (of iWitness Ministries, and co-MC of last years' Fusion) spoke at our Saturday Night Service (cool name, huh? very creative!) to kick off our "Missions Emphasis Month" he was reading out of Matt 9:35-38. And while he was talking about the point he was making, my eyes just sat glued to this passage that I've read I-don't-know-how-many-times-before! And for the first time something hit me! (Not literally.) I looked at the word "workers" (keep in mind that I'm undergoing some major theological transition right now, so this has to do with being in that state of mind), and I asked: "What work are the workers sent to do?"
And then analyzed that it has something to do with the ones being harvested. So then I asked: "What does it say about the state of those being harvested?" I found the answer to be: they are "harassed", "helpless", and "like sheep without a shepherd".
So then I came to the conclusion that the worker (which we interpret as "missionary") isn't (in this passage, at least) sent in order to "tell them how to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, be baptized, and learn how to secure their eternal destiny as taking up residence in some vague place called Heaven", but rather to respond to their current state.
In other words, the job of the worker is to: defend against the harasser, help them become fortified and strong, take on the role of a shepherd (i.e. lead, take care of the physical/emotional/spiritual needs, guide, protect against danger, etc.).

Then I asked myself: "What is Jesus doing in this passage?" The answer I got is: going through the town (i.e. hanging out with people), teaching in the synagogue, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness.
"So what should we be doing in our mission fields?" Hanging out with the people, teaching the churched (perhaps, how to be like Christ instead of like Pharisees!), preaching the Gospel (which I think needs to be redefined) to those who aren't churched, and offering/providing/bringing healing into people's lives.

The third "A-HA" moment occurred after my 432 group meeting last night. Although I don't know if it was as much "a-ha" as "hmmm..."! So we talked about a lot of things. Some of which led us back to the creation story. A statement was brought up that I've heard before, but haven't given much thought to. "If God created light before he created the sun, moon, and stars, where did the light come from?(Gen 1)" Because if you look, it's not talking about his own light, it's talking about the light he created and then separated from darkness.

I had previously decided it wasn't a question worth wrestling with at the time, I was simply ok with it being a mystery. Still am. But for some reason, a thought popped into my head last night. A what if. Not an "I've figured this out.", just a "Hmmm...?" What if the "light" was Jesus? Not Jesus in the sense of part of the Trinity not existing and now existing. But Jesus in the sense of "the one who will be a Messiah, a Redeemer of a fallen, sinful people. Jesus is called "the light of the World", so what if Gen 1:3 is the birth of Jesus' purpose to come? I think I might interject that this thought process relates to a belief I hold concerning God's involvement in "The Fall". Which isn't one that many hold. But maybe if you consider this "light theory" of mine, you might allow yourself to wrestle with the notion that God had a role in the fall of man that we aren't very willing to give him.

Here's what I mean.
I think we use Scripture, in some ways, to box ourselves in to a very limited view of God. I think as evangelicals, we can tend to get a little Pharisaical in our understanding of God's character. (Meaning we're not willing to allow room for our understanding/interpretation of Scripture to be wrong or incomplete.) Esepecially when we ask, "Where is that in the text?" and suggest/propose/believe/ascertain that God has limited himself in any way through the revelation of the Bible we hold in our hands. I believe that we are sorely mistaken if we believe that God has ever, by any means, limited himself through anything. I don't believe God has any limitations, even any imparted by his own actions. I do not believe that even the "will of man" (free or otherwise) limits God in any way. So I grow frustrated with the way I've been taught to use Scripture as a means of suggesting to God that his character is limited to my (fallable) interpretation of that Scripture. Just because "I haven't seen it anywhere in Scripture", doesn't make it untrue...it means I need to keep looking with an open heart and mind, willing to be challenged, corrected, and changed by God revealing himself in new ways. Because by no means have I got God figured out, or will I ever! That's my soapbox for today!

And that was my final "A-HA" moment for the weekend.
Thanks for listening.
Comments and questions are always welcome!

This Old House

Have you ever had your house jacked up?

I mean literally...?! Not the wild party sense, but the "like you jack up a car to work underneath it" sense.

So, we've had this "foundation problem" for a few years now, and my dad is finally doing something about it. I'm happy and concerned at the same time (cause I know this is expensive).

Anyways, so...there's really no feeling like laying on your bed and all of the sudden your whole room drops like 2 inches! Kindof freaky, really.

So, that's what's been happening for me today. Not that exciting, at least not to tell about!

Hope everyone who reads this is having a great day!