"I don't believe in magic"

We had talked a great deal about myths towards the end of the semester and how they were needed to give us a fuller understanding of the nature and character of a personal God. I had never questioned the place of "fairy tales", as Chesterton calls them, because I have always loved a good story. There was something stiring that I could never explain, there was an adventure that I longed to be a part of, or a vilian that I desperately wanted to expose. There were in stories imagination when I felt I had none and a course of action for when creativity got the whirlwind better of me.

"I don't like things that aren't real," said a family friend while she was over for a Christmas Eve greeting. "I don't like cartoons and I don't believe in magic." I think this conversation came up while discussing reading preferences. But having just been discussing with John Eldredge--in his book "Waking the Dead"--the importance of myth in our lives, I was a bit taken aback by how taken aback I was with her words. I asked her, "What about imagination? Isn't that a good thing?" "If it's real life stuff."
Dad chimmed in with, "C.S. Lewis wouldn't like you at all.".....To Be Continued

Ya know

Just thought I'd say something. Some thing.

I've got to get on the ball with this writing and posting all at the same time business. It's been a while since I've posted. Wait--it's been exactly a month...

Observation

(Rasselas by Samuel Johnson)
It is precisely the things that Rasselas and Nekayah envy in those whose example they seek that turns out to be the most burdensome to their prospective mentors. The very strengths desired turn into the most obvious weaknesses because the strengths are over emphasized--tipping the scales and obliterating balance. In all things, it is circumstance that is enviable. In all things, it is circumstance that is most cumbersome and wearying. There must be something more.

Chippin' Logs

(Thesis Forecasting and Discerning Soap-Boxes)

“Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”

So said Spurgeon. The great church heresies of the middle ages were labeled as right “except”. In all great ecclesiastical undertakings the church has sought God’s wisdom in knowing where their error lies. The results were historical and covenantal declamations known as “credo” or creeds which means “I believe”.

Nothing can be orthodox save one point. Nothing can be true and followed by a “but”. Nothing can be right with any exceptions tagged on. Yet it’s so easy as Christians to point that out in the lives of others and well neigh look over the issues of our own hearts in which we fall so terribly short. It’s easy to see the blatantly evil in more of an objective light. It’s near impossible to apply such objectivity to the subject of ourselves.

Think of the speck Christ talks about in Matthew 7. It could actually just be the log in our own eye obscuring our vision and superimposing that speck into another’s eye.

I remember hearing some time back about a psychiatrist who said something to the effect that the reason a person commits a murder because they have had something in their background that they haven’t been able to cope with and they themselves want to die. Though obviously absurd, I think a similar view could be more accurately applied to the Matthew 7 scenario. The reason people are so eager to lash and point out the downfalls of others is because they see those same or worse short comings in themselves and seek to remedially clear their conscience.

Thus, we are almost right except. We’ve pointed out our brother’s abnormal wart and taken no heed to the tumor over our own hearts.

Deliberate Image

(Lecture, Reading, and Thoughts)

There is nothing God does without purpose.

We’ve been studying the “Jordanesque” way to pull a passage of Scripture apart by examining the details, following the footnote trails, and thus gain a broader view of God’s working continuity throughout history. The concept I’ve been wrestling most with as of late is the idea that everything man does is tied to some root ideology or belief.

In the eulogy written for his father, Andrew (?) Postman told of his dad’s deep love for his fellow man, his acknowledged need for community, and his selfless heart. Postman illustrated this by telling the story of family road trips and the fun they’d have at toll booths when his father would pay for the car behind them. The joy and humor it brought to the Postman family when down the road that car would pull up beside them and the occupants would either have an inquisitive look of confusion or an eagerly smiling wave of gratitude, that incident left an impression on a young boy who later saw it as a revealing of his father’s character.

Why did God choose the plagues He did to send upon the Egyptians? Why did He use the imagery of bondservant in context with the hope gospel? Why did He require blood from a particular sacrifice to be put on the right earlobe, right thumb, and right big toe of the priests? Why are there seven days of creation and seven bowl judgments?

If God, Who is above all, in all, and works through all, if God, who created all things but man specifically in His own image, if God works all things out deliberately, is it not right to assume that man too—as image bearer—has a deeper meaning and purpose for all things acted out. Granted, because the image has been distorted by man’s fall from grace, the deliberateness on man’s part is both perverted and often unconscious. But nevertheless, there is nothing man does without purpose. It is only under the grace of our Creator that such purpose can be redeemed to mirror, however dimly, the greater purposes of a deliberate God.

Jordanization Exercise

(Amos 3:12)

Thus says the LORD: “As the shepherd rescues from the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear, so shall the people of Israel who dwell in Samaria be rescued, with the corner of a couch and part of a bed.” —Amos chapter 3, verse 12


Shepherd: High Priest, king, Christ, mediator

Lion’s Mouth: Satan and Judgment—Ps 22:21; II Tim 4:17; I Pt 5:8

Legs: Sacrifice—Ex 12:9; 29:17; Lev 4:11

Ear: Servitude and Sacrifice—Ex 21:6; Deut 15:17; Pro 25:12; Luke 22:50; Ex 29:20;
Lev 8:23; 14:14-17

Samaria: Capital of Northern Kingdom of Israel and Burial Place of the Kings—II Kings
13:13; 17:24-28

Couch—Rest and Comfort


Sarcastic Exasperation: Sacrifice—two legs and a piece of an ear. The legs were to be a burnt offering along with the head of the animal. Where are the ears? On the head. Where is the big toe that was to be tipped in blood along with the right ear lobe? On the foot. Where else have we seen foot—or more specifically, heel—imagery alongside head imagery? Genesis 3:15, of course, sets the precedent for this extended metaphor which separates the kingdom of man, under the ruling head of Satan, from the kingdom of God whose heirs will one day crush the head of the serpent.

How interesting it is that in sacrifices the head and legs together would be offered.
_ Other parallels between ear and legs:
~Hearers versus doers of the law/word (Rom 2:13; Js 1:22f)
~Implies action—putting feet to words

How much more interestinger is it that Nehemiah has a play on words for the Exodus 21:6 imagery of doulos: “Many years you BORE with them and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets. Yet they would not GIVE EAR.” (9:30)

Practical Application 201

(Jordanization of Life)

As I’ve been thinking through my Jordan reading and trying to make a Jordanizational application to Sunday night Teen Bible Study with the girls, I was
reminded of a particular exercise my high school English teacher had the class do. The point I have long since forgotten—I could take a few semi-educated stabs—but what I do remember is the following directions part. She brought in some sliced bread, a jar each of peanut butter and jelly, and a knife. One person was to explain to another the steps and procedure of making a PB&J, while the other was to follow those direction to the letter. It was a lot of fun to play with an extreme literalist taking orders from an extreme control freak!

So as I thought through Sunday’s lesson on I Peter 5 in light of what Wendy and I had talked to the girls about last week—taking each passage in context and paying heed to the details—I determined to go through the bread spreading exercise with the girls. I Peter deals a lot with authority and accountability, from ecclesiastical and civil to covenantal and marital, Peter ties them all together with the example of Christ’s bi-embodiment of leadership and submission. Since relating to and with authority happens on a daily basis, it is also a good example in and of itself for Peter’s address to suffering. He is constantly saying things like “do not be caught off guard”, “be prepared”, “be ready to give an account”, “do not be surprised” while at the same time exhorting them to honorable conduct, good deeds, unity of mind, brotherly love. He’s telling them to be prepared by keeping up the ordinary means of life. He’s urging them to continue in tenderness of heart and humility of mind, he’s reminding them to be self-controlled and sober-minded. He’s calling to mind the simplicity of covenant community by encouraging hospitality and the stewardship of gifts in useful service for the saints. To what end—“in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ”. These are the details that by skimming over cause us to misconstrue what we often take as the bigger picture. In this case the issues of authority and suffering were brought into such clearer light because I tend to over-spiritualize and hyper-analyze anything that looks to be a big picture idea in Scripture.

I brought a bag of bread, a jar each of peanut butter and jelly, along with a knife. All I said after explaining the exercise is, “I’m investing Rachel with the authority to give Meg directions on how to make a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich”. I didn’t say anything else as we all laughed hysterically at the end result—PB&J neatly spread all over the out side of the bread bag—but then every one shook there heads. “I see what God’s saying,” someone piped up. And I think it became a little clearer than jelly to me too.

Cognitive Dissident?: Gideon, Terry, and Judges

“As a ‘youth’ Gideon had been presented to us as one who provided the food of kings, bread and wine, to God’s people. He was a true servant, a man of real humility, oriented toward serving others and ruling them in that fashion. Now, however, he has forgotten this to an extent, and has begun to lord it over other men to some degree, however slight. Such is the tendency of the human heart.” --James Jordan (Judges, pg 156)

“He does not know himself well enough yet. He cannot fathom that he has violated Scripture, broken faith with the wife of his youth, broken faith with those he led into battle,...and broken faith with God Himself. He has robbed Almighty God of the glory He could have recieved as a result of the multitudinous gifts God deposited in Randall’s very person.” --Flip Benham (www.razormouth.com/archives/00000220.htm)

How? Why? They started out saying, and being, and doing all the right things. I don’t understand. I want to understand. Where do they go wrong?

Their families--I know, and love, and respect. If it can happen to them it could happen to any Christian, right? I know, I know--the grace of God can intervein and show us our errors. But why didn’t God intervien in their lives? They knew Him, loved Him, sacrificed and invested in His Kingdom--just like the rest of us. How did they get from there to here? What was the turning point? I don’t understand, and I want something more.

It’s more than just saying, “we’re all human” or “we shouldn’t put people on pedistals”. We can’t be suspect of everyone yet at the same time it’s great to have examples. But what happens when one day our examples are saying and doing things so very right and then their actions belie their words?

Have I always learned by example or have I been burnt enought times to where my skeptical reaction is to watch a person’s actions before I even think about listening to what he has to say.

Family Circus

I’m sitting here in my room thinking about how I’m so excited to be able to live with the Graysons. Wes King is playing in the background as I contemplate all the family lessons I’ll be able to glean for future application. Then I think about the Kings. There are really only three local families--and some day soon, four--whom I’d consider my most advantageous of familial mentors. As I thought about the Grants, the Graysons, the Kings--and soon the Wilburs--I realized that I’ve already gleaned so much from them. And the “apprensiceship approach” only seems brighter and more substantive in the future with each family.

As I was thinking I had to ask myself why I’m thinking about family so much as of late. I honestly have as much intrest in marriage and family as I did several years ago. So why am I allowing the notions to occupy so much of my mind? I came up with several things.

First of all--precisely because I have no intrest in marriage or family. I could say “nuff said” but I’ll elaborate. In I Peter 4, the apostle tells his people that the end is near and then he gives them exhortations to live godly lives, be sober-minded, and to continue practicing hospitality--basically, prepare yourselves but keep doing the ordinary every day things you’ve been doing. This paralleled his admonition in chapter three, “be ready to give an account”, as well as Peter’s theme through out his letter to not be caught off guard and be prepared. So, basically, precisely because I can’t see what lies ahead, because I don’t want to be caught off guard, and because God has placed the examples in my life now--while I’m not interested. The learning begins where the teachers are.

Secondly, because of the excuse I’ve had all along--conscious or subconscious--for why I’ve never wanted to get married. I never thought marriage worked. I’d revel in the fact that my parents marriage used to be so rocky. I’d wallow in thoughts of the divorce of my dad’s brother and pity his second sweet wife and two small kids for the self-centered childishness they have to endure. I’d remember with horror the nasty divorce of mom’s sister but then to happier thoughts of the wonderful man she’s married to now who was himself married three times before becoming a believer. My own mother is the product of a second marriage. All these “examples” swirl around inside my head but I’m lead to remember that one of these marriages didn’t end in divorce. Some how--by the grace of God--my parents (or rather my mother--those Shore boys!) stuck it out, and I was able to see and grow with them through that time.

Still, I’ve always been afraid that that would happen to me so I wanted to protect myself and my future children by having no future children and thus never getting married. Since I’ve gotten older, the stories of divorce have gotten more and more numerous in the lives of pastors, close friends, and prominant aquaintances. But I’m beginning to see that marriage can work, and that if it didn’t, God would not have sanctioned and sanctified it within the context of His covenant. It’s taken me a long time to acknowledge that point, now I just need to see how it works.

Thirdly, the reason I’ve had so many thoughts of marriage and family are because I long so desperately to know God more and to better understand His covenant with man. There is no better way than to watch covenant parents deliberately raise their covenant children in the ways of covenant faithfulness and covenant remembrance. The reason the children of Israel didn’t claim all of God’s best for them--the reason they fell into alliance with the very peoples and idols they were told to drive out--was because they neglected to pass the laws of God onto their children. With every passing generation the forgetfullness grew.
Now is the season for me to look for covenant succession in action. I’ve noticed two ways of teaching/learning the ways of God to children/men. One seems to be the way the Kings and Graysons take--which I could parallel to what Jordan calls “theology proper”. They begin with God, who He is, and what He has done and everything else points back to Him--daily life, application, worldview, playing with siblings, ect. The other is the schooling which I recieved some what through necessity and by default. That is, by beginning with example, beginning with the “everything else” and showing how that points back to the Creator and Giver of all things.

I suppose it depends on maturity and background as to which method of teaching a parent will take, but I’m still learning more by example than by principle. Because I had so much baggage that’s how I came to learn from Der. Because I have so much baggage that’s how I’m going to learn from those families God has placed in my life--Show me, because I’ve never seen it done before.

Lastly, at least I’m making this my last point. The reason I’m thinking so much about marriage and family is because everyone in the world is getting married this coming summer, I’m in a wedding, and I’m trying to get all my engaged friends through school with some level of concentration and focus.

“Nuff said.”

Practical Application 101

Yeah, so. Jordan's been rocking my world with all this "don't ignore the specific details" stuff and this "it's all about covenant" stuff. The things we--I--overlook and the reasons we--I--overlook them are completely, well, sad, shallow, and inconsistant. True it has made me want to slap myself and say "duh", but more than that I'm finding that my small burning ember of enlightenment is being stoked into this firely passion to connect more of the dots. And as I'm reaching that point, I'm also finding that--while I am taking such effort for my own hungering benefit--I'm wanting others to make these connections along with me. I'm wanting to go up to some one and say, "Walk with me. Let's see where this goes".

In light of that, practical application is needed--and consistant--in bringing these revelations both to further light and into use. Getting "back to the basics" and paying heed to the "specific details" are the things I'd like to work through and with my Bible Study girls on. What does this look like out of the class room where we talk "about" it, and how can I apply those two ideas by translating them into conviction and action? That will be the subject of thought over the next few days as I help wrap up our study in I Peter.

Giant Cities

(Judges by James Jordan: chpt 1, pg 13)

Caleb's inheritance is with that of Judah's. He has been graphed into the covenant and because of his faithfulness, along with that of Joshua's, during the spy mission to Canaan he was given his choice of land. He headed strait for the land of the giants whose imposing stature caused his people to loose faith in God's promises. We are told that Judah is to be at the head of the "mopping up" campeigns in the Promised Land. Since Judah was chosen to be the kingly head, it was Judah's job to lead the rest of Israel in waring against the enemies of God. But we're told in Judges 1:18 that Judah didn't complete its job.

Judah had taken the city of Arba (Kiriath-Arba) whose name had been changed to Hebron, and that city had been named after "the man who spawned the race of giants known as Anikim" (pg 6). It was from this race of giants that the five Philistine tribal cities emerged. The book of Judges says that Judah took Hebron (Kiriath-Arba), and they took Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ekron--three of the Philistine cities. "That's wonderful," Jordan says, "but there were five Philistine cities. How about Gath and Ashdod? (pg 13)" All five of the cities were part of Judah's inheritance but they never claimed all five when they were told they could.

It's here that the story of David and Goliath comes to mind. In the book of I Samuel the story is told of the Philistine capture of Israel's Ark of the Covenant. It's interesting that the Philistines took the Ark to the temple of Dagon--in Asdod, one of the two cities Judah neglected to claim. The other city they neglected came back to haunt Israel in the form of Goliath of Gath.

Israel had an illigitimate king at the time. Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, not of the divinely appointed kingly tribe of Judah. The way in which the Ark was returned seems to be a flaunt from the enemies of God or at least a reminder that Judah had a chance to rule over the Anikim during the time of Joshua and Caleb. With the ark, the Philistines sent gold tumors (stones) as guilt offerings to the Lord--one for each of their five cities. This imagery is again brought up in David's confrontation with Goliath. Thus, we see the legitimate heir of Judah sets right the mistake of his tribe by using the first of his five stones to take out Gath.

Bearing Witness in Covenant Keeping

(Jordan, Deceit, and the Apocrypha)

I didn’t quite get it in Jordan at first, and right about the time I thought I had it the issue weaseled it’s way into our Apocrypha reading to force me a go at Moral Philosophy’s practical application requirements. Deceit. Is it right or wrong? Why?

Jordan said on page 86 of Primeval Saints, “our practice of deception, where necessary, must be in order to further good and peace and never be a means of destroying our neighbor, for the ninth commandment forbids bearing false witness against our neighbor.”

I understand that 1) man’s mind is limited in making sense of the divine, 2) there is no inherent evil so therefore 3) the devil has no stories and thus 4) deception can in fact be used for the glory of God, the protection of His sovereignty and His people, and for the advancement of the Kingdom. I think maybe the part I’m hung up on is the bearing false witness against your neighbor part. I think if I can think through that it will clear up all the other peripheral ponderings.

In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus used an example of a member from a despised people group over and above a wealthy and talented politician and a pious clergyman to show the Israelites who their true neighbor was. My question is, was the point of the story that your neighbor is someone who embodies the truth and faith Christians say they believe in? Was the point to show the prominent leaders as shallow and hypocritical? Was is a combination of the above to show that the least likely is more often than not your neighbor?

Who was it that said something along the lines of “the Bible tells us to love our enemies and to love our neighbors because often they are one and the same”? That’s a true point, isn’t it. But if it is a true point then isn’t everyone our neighbor? And if that is true then, according to the ninth commandment, we can never bear false witness against anyone. And if we can never bear false witness against anyone, where does deceit play a role in the Christian’s defense of God and covenant?

How Is It?

(Jordan and the Simplest of Things)

How is it that man is so extremist? How is it that he can either glory in that which he does not know or revel in that which he thinks himself most sure. How is it that he can skim over the details of life and think himself well-rounded? How is it he comes to think that what he believes about the world, the universe, and God has no bearing or manifestations in the way he butters his bread, tips a waitress, or phrases a question?

Jordan says that, “The progressive revelation and glorification of God in history does not take place by revealing what is hidden, but by transforming what is already revealed.” It is man’s special gift to either make light of weightier matters or to allow the lighter to weigh heavy upon their souls. We stress ourselves over the simplest of things and cast aside with a witty remark the issues of substance that should be taking captive our minds. How is it that we skew importance and revert priority?

Jordan goes on to say about God’s work of transforming that which has already been revealed, “This is the mystery of time, of growth, of history. It means something remarkable: that even in the simplest of human actions, God’s glory can be enhanced and His Person revealed more fully” (Primeval Saints, pg. 24). How is it that we’re able to get so caught up in finding out who God is and what makes Him tick that we overlook the fact that He has given us a means by which to know Him: First of all He has made us in His image, secondly He has given us His Word through which we can , thirdly, discern the pattern of His grace and interaction with us here on earth just as it will one day be in heaven.

How is it we can not grasp the fact that in the simple things of life—the ordinary—God chooses to make His glory known through out all of history? How is it?

Worship and the Exclamation Mark!

(Primeval Saints by Jordan)
In Genesis, alters were not just places to offer personal worship, they were “worship centers for all the faithful in the area” (Jordan, pg. 64). In Jordan’s chapter on Abraham, he says that because Abraham understood the meaning of alter-building he was thus on an evangelist every time he paid homage and gave glory to God. “Jordan goes on to say that Abraham knew that “all cultural benefits flow from worship”. This idea is reiterated in the New Testament when believers are told to live honorably so that unbelievers may see (I Peter 2:12), when our conduct is compared to a city on a hill (Matthew 5:16), and again when we are instructed to live openly a life of worship through service and thankfulness (II Corinthians 9).

I got to wondering what role the exclamation mark plays in Scripture. I know that in neither Hebrew nor Greek there is any such literary symbol, so what were the guidelines, if any, for the translators use. I looked through Genesis, dabbled in Exodus, skimmed Leviticus, skipped to Ruth, and immersed myself in Psalm. I flipped through Matthew, dipped into Mark, scanned Luke, skipped to I Peter, and submerged myself in Revelation......

*Melchizedec’s blessing—Genesis 14:19-20
*Sarai to Abram—Genesis 16:5
*Abraham to God—Genesis 17:18 “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
*Abraham to Sarah—Genesis 18:6 “Quick…!” meal for angels

Noah’s Witness: I Peter

(Primeval Saints by Jordan)

I find it ironic and short-sited that Noah is mentioned in a book that covers patience and endurance, honor and family, and speaking versus acting in love if for no other reason than as a good bridge to do a blurp on baptism. It seems pretty random to have covered all those topics and have verse 20 of I Peter 3 on Noah and verse 21 on baptism. But the one thing that brings it all back together is the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ in verse 22.

Chapter 1 talks about Christians living holy lives even as Christ has lived a holy life. Chapter 2 fleshes out the life of holiness by showing that its fruit is love in action—even if it means loving a harsh master—we are to remember that Christ has gone before in living for us the life of love through suffering. Chapter 3 begins as a reminder to husbands and wives to live through love—a quiet and gentle spirit and honor shown are among the virtues of a bride and bridegroom. Brotherly or neighborly love is brought up and once again suffering for righteousness sake is addressed. “Prepare to give a defense for the hope that is in you,” verse 15 says, but once again it is reiterated that no one is argued into the kingdom. And this is where Noah makes his appearance.

It took Noah some 120 years to build the ark, in Jordan’s mind, during which he proclaimed the truth in love both in words but primarily through the consistency of his faith in actions. To say something as absurd as “there will be a flood that wipes out the whole world brought about by the One True God as a judgment for the idolatry and pride of mankind” is blatant enough, but to live out that belief for 120 years is all the more radical a witness bearing. I Peter 2:12 says that honorable conduct is to be kept around the Gentiles, “so that when they speak…they may see your good deeds….” The idea here is that the City of man talks and the City of Man acts. The gentle and quiet spirit spoken of in chapter 3, though, doesn’t mean that the children of God are supposed to go through life silently, rather we are to exercise discernment in how and when we are to “speak the truth in love”. The fruits of our love are to be evident at all times, but we are to be ready when divinely called upon to bear testimony to that love from which our fruit is derivative.

But that love is derived as well, and Peter makes sure that we are constantly reminded that in all things, Christ is the first fruits. He is the example of all things from holiness to hope, submission to suffering, from living testimonially to loving evidentially.

Skimming the Details

(Primeval Saints by James Jordan)

The “big picture” has always been the easiest concept for me to grasp. I’ve noticed that I either don’t get the little stuff or I’m too lazy to see how it fits into the bigger picture of life. It’s not that the details have been over looked because of the overwhelming ornamentation or the assumed absurdity of seemingly abstract connections, it’s simply because I’ve never had the details laid before me in a manner that promotes the least import to the understanding of the whole.

Similarly—and yet in contrast—the church today has more of a self-vested call to promote the larger seemingly more important issues of gospel life. And yet, because this generation is more a product than the last of the shift away from liturgical orthodoxy, the details which have been lost or skimmed over are pieces of the puzzle that leave our big picture desperately lacking.

In either the personal or Church examples, the case bears evidence to our rejection of the ordinary means of grace, the oversight of inspired repetition, and the misinterpretation of divine sovereignty. All of which leave the gospel we proclaim shallow and superficial……

Thorns and Trees

(Primeval Saints by James Jordan)

I’ve been wondering since reading Through New Eyes where the symbolism of the thistle comes in the scheme of thorns versus trees. It’s always been portrayed as a redeemed thorn it seems, with respect to the combination of its majestic beauty and cursed spikes. Jordan, in Primeval Saints, says that “in the Bible good trees are symbols for righteous men, while thorns and brambles are symbols for violent and ungodly men” (pg. 45). I’m not sure if he’s going to develop that more, but the thing that just struck me is that the redemption of mankind Christ on the tree wearing a crown of thorns……

Thankfulness

(Primeval Saints by James Jordan)

Some years ago there was somewhat of a crisis that brought me to a crossroad. I wrestled with my emotions in trying to decide how to respond and what to do. I asked myself, “Do I despair, or do I look for some hope in this head knowledge I have that God is taking care of things”. That year for my birthday I got my answer in the form of a little wooden box given to me by a dear friend. Feeling a little ignorant I had to ask what it was.

“It’s a ‘Thankfulness Box’,” she said, “Whenever God does something big or little that you want to remember, just write it down and put it in the box. Every so often you can take them all out and thanks God for all the things He’s given.”

The weeks and months following were both the worst and best of my life. When I got my box I wondered what in the world I would do with it, but in the lowest and even brightest times that came after I found myself going back to the box, dumping out all the little pieces of paper and thanking God for reminding me of all the times He had proven faithful in the people and events brought my way.

A year or so later, another good friend of mine was having some major spiritual struggles. Every time I talked with her the conversations would be about how she felt and what was happening or not happening to make her think that God had forsaken her. It was then that I remembered how the simple—or sometimes not so simple—act of offering up thanks had changed my heart and outlook from focusing on me and my needs to the bigger picture of how God had worked in the past. I shared with her that such a reminder to have a heart of thankfulness completely changed how I viewed not only God, but myself within the realm of His sovereign grace. She and I covenanted together to start an exercise of radical thankfulness by praying for one situation or person every day that we may or may not necessarily be thankful for, but just as an exercise to shift our minds from ourselves to someone else. Along with choosing a verse each day we both began to see the bigger picture of God’s working—in history, in the lives of those we were praying for and ultimately have a clearer understanding of how we fit into His plan.

There is a plan that God has for the individual, but He works covenantaly with peoples to fulfill His Kingdom purposes. It’s easy to lose sight of that and live life subjectively with no other life in view but our own. Thankfulness is anti-pride. It’s a recognition that we are not capable of living life without the aid of divine intervention—often manifesting itself in covenantal community. More often than not the scratch paper in my little box has the name of a person on it. It’s helpful to be reminded that I’m dependant on the means of grace and the mercies of a sovereign God.

“The giving of thanks is a rendering of praise and an affirmation of dependence upon someone else.” --James Jordan, Primeval Saints, pg. 22

Endure

(I Peter 2:11-25)
There has to be more to life than endurance as we understand it. The dictionary definitions lend to the idea of "bearing up", "sustaining under pressure", or "holding your own". Quite honestly, that's what I think of when I think of enduring all things for Christ's sake. That has been the idea I grew up with. The idea that Christ lovingly took all the suffering and pain we would ever have on Himself at the cross, and although we will go through some rough times here on earth, He doesn't want us to suffer the evils and ills found on earth any longer than is necessary. Therefore we must stick it out until He chooses to take us home to be with Him in Heaven.

I thought through this idea a year or so ago when I came across the "Free Grace Broadcaster" booklets. My conclusion was that if our idea of endurance is correct--simply to bear one's own weight for a time--then that would either be a season or the idea of perseverance would have to accompany. Endurance as I've known it seems to go against every earth-shattering idea of grace I've ever come in contact with for the two-fold reason that it lends to self pity and contradicts the call to bear one another's burdens.

As I wrestled with the idea, I made the decision to bring it up over lunch with Der and Joanna. I asked if the idea of endurance has changed in meaning since the time Peter wrote and said that everywhere I looked the idea was to stick it out and hold on until the ride is over. "There's got to be more to endurance than that. Is perseverance built into Peter's call to endure?" He responded by saying that both Peter and Paul use similar imagery in words like "standfast" or "longsuffering". "Longsuffering doesn't mean that you suffer for a long time," he said.

Thus, endurance as I've known it is very un-Biblical. Once again I am shown how easy it is to go on believing fragmentary truths and still be as hopeless as the soul who has no guarantee of sustaining grace. There is more to life because life is about more than our trials and hardships--though how we react to such seasons of testing speak volumes in regards to the belief we hold on what the meaning of life is. If we believe in steadfast perseverance and genuine longsuffering then the nature of our faith--the purpose of our life--is the Biblical call to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Indeed, that is man's chief end.

Object Lesson: Jordan in General

Wendy had me play a game with her a while back that she called “Object Lesson”. The idea is that you take a random item and make a spiritual lesson out of it. It was pretty difficult at first—and I felt like I was pulling stuff out of the air—but after a while you get in a groove. It becomes easier to make Biblical connections from looking at an avocado or a teddy bear. And when you get to something like a carved bunny, you’re able to wax eloquence about how Christ was a carpenter who brought ordinary stuff to life through the natural means of shaped wood, and thus with His death upon a wooded cross He redeemed the ordinary through extraordinary grace.

“Object Lesson” came to mind as I read Jordan’s descriptions of discernment and Biblical worldviewishness. A good many of his connections seem far fetched—like pulling non-existent parallels out of the air—but, in thinking about them, begin to make sense. Other connections are just plain obvious and I wonder why I never saw it or how I could have believed otherwise. Jolting recognition must be the first step towards discernment. Making time to make connections is the hardest part. But I suppose, just as in the spiritual lessons game, after a while it becomes easier to observe all the red flags and connect all the dots. And when you get to something like the first chapter of Judges, you can see that the story of Caleb, Othniel, and Achsah is small reflection of the larger redemption story of extraordinary grace given through the waters of life.

Confronting the Demons Within

(Christian Culture by Steve Schlissel)

On the multi-sentence parenthetical statement found on page 37 of Mr. Schlissel’s book, addressing the evils of dispensational theology:

It’s taken me a long time to realize how easily I can be pushed to jump up on my soap box and talk down about the evils of the Baptist-Fundamentalist faith. At the drop of a hat I could unleash the bitterness I have towards the promotion of their ignorant yet blatant promotion of heresy and hopelessness. And then, over a period of time, I realized that it was bitterness that was driving me and not any supernatural desire to change or minister to those who come from the same background. It is because of the relative newness of that discovery that I cringe when reading Schlissel. Not because he’s a bad man—I’ve met him, he’s nice—and not because he’s opinionated—for the most part he’s opinionated in all the right spots. But because I know that opinions are my weakness. I’m willing to give them out when ever I feel the need and have often gotten myself in trouble for doing so. I see the need to be quiet more often—or to at least pursue a wisdom in knowing when and how the most appropriate time and manner would be played out in broaching a “soap box” issue. I think that’s the key, because if truth is true it should be proclaimed. But it should be proclaimed with the greatest means of grace to fit the message of truth properly.

Alpha and Omega

(Through New Eyes by James Jordan)

The bane of our theology is pride. When we realize that the inheritance Peter speaks of in 1Peter 1:1-12 is Christ Himself, we will let go of all the baggage we hold on to as gospel. It is not eternal life which we are to aspire, it is not freedom from pain and fear, it is not even the salvation of souls which is the essence of Christianity. It is primarily the fellowship, the relationship, the person of Jesus Christ—all else is secondary. It is all about Him, and as we journey towards that realization we see how all of, what some would call, the “benefits” of Christianity bare witness to source of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17).

Call Jehovah

KMSC: Iraq Blog

As I prayed for Dr. Grant and the SGI team one morning, the 19th centuary words of “Call Jehovah” became a part of my intercession. I sang what little I could remember, “Call Jehovah your salvation, rest beneath th’ Almighty’s shade; in His secret habitation dwell, and never be dismayed”. From there I could recall only the hymn tune. When I got home I headed straight for my trusty hymn book, “Arrayed Before the Throne”, to pray the rest of the song on behalf of our brothers and sisters in the Servant Group team:

“From the sword at noon-day wasting,
From the noisome pestilence,
In the depth of mid-night blasting,
God shall be your sure defense:
He shall charge His angel legions
Watch and ward o’er you to keep;
Though you walk through hostile regions,
Though in desert wilds you sleep.”

Come to find out, the hymn talked about “hostile regions” and “desert wilds”.

While everyone here at King’s Meadow and in the Franklin community is earnestly petetioning for the safe return of Der and the Servant Group team, we are constantly reminded that they’ve answered a call to share the gospel in a land of oportunity. As Dr. Grant said before he left:

“Yes, it will be a difficult trip. Yes, it will be a costly trip. Yes, it will be a dangerous trip. But [we are] committed to running toward the roar. Besides, the opportunities our team has been afforded are absolutely incredible."

Come to find out, he was thinking about more than the “hostile regions” and “desert wilds”.

Catechisms and Imagery

(Through New Eyes by James Jordan)

I love quotes. I love factoids. I love it when someone can take a complex idea and put it into a memorable definition for me. I was noticing that as I read I mostly highlight the one-liners that sum up the previous paragraphs or pages I’d wrestled and trudged through. For instance, Jordan says on page 29, “We create our own worlds by generating our own worldviews.” The next thought I had after reading that was actually another quote, “People are entitled to their own opinions but their not entitled to their own facts.” Both are summations of a much larger concept or lesson. When we think solely based upon our opinions, we can create for ourselves a world apart from reality—a world apart from the truth of the facts. And thus we create our own worldview.

Jordan builds a wonderful case for how the Bible is engineered around imagery and symbolism. He states a complaint on how in the “Western world for centuries, men have assumed that the proper way to express truth is by means of abstract, philosophical language….This, however, is not how God chose to reveal Himself to us.” He goes on to say that the Bible is filled with “stories, histories, poems, symbols, parables, and the like”. Jordan does affirm that such an idea is “equally as important as abstract philosophizing”, so that means he believes that philosophizing has its place and use, right? I don’t know, because the next paragraph down Jordan, talks about catechisms:

“Notice, for instance, the way in which our confessions of faith and catechisms are written. They are virtually devoid of imagery. Solomon wrote Proverbs to instruct youth, but for centuries Christians have used catechisms that consist basically of definitions of terms: What is justification; what is prayer; what is the meaning of the fourth petition; etc. The contrast of approach is quite startling.”

Don’t catechisms have their place? Certainly they can be misused, but can’t they just as easily be properly utilized as a launching pad for greater spiritual truths. Catechisms and confessions are the grammar of the faith. They are the building blocks upon Christians have come to a better understanding of the broader, richer pictures of the gospel.

I love quotes. I love factoids. I love it when someone can take a complex idea and put it into a memorable definition for me.

The Opportunities Outweigh the Needs

KMSC: Iraq Blog

“All is well here.”

It’s pretty overwhelming to come into contact with fresh and enlivened faith. For Dr. Grant and the Servant Group team it has been encouraging to witness such enthusiasm. The parents and teachers of the classical schools have searched so long for some kind of hope to offer their children and now that it has found them, they’ve become enlivened with new meaning and have been instilled with fresh vision.

The team continues to work along side school administrators to train teachers and compile curriculum. Everyone’s excited to see the what change and growth the coming days will bring:

“The needs here are great. But the opportunities are even greater. I am so grateful we've had the chance to do this. Just keep praying for our safety. It is a pretty hairy place!”

Run Toward the Roar Update

KMSC: Iraq Blog

Due largely to the prayers of saints across the globe, Dr. Grant and the Servant Group team have made it safely to their first destination. Continue to pray for wisdom as the team pursues the various ministry opportunities before them. Thus far they’ve been able to encourage and fellowship with other missionaries in the region, and have brought a renewed sense of vision for what the gospel can do to change hearts in the coming days. The team’s goal is echoed in Dr. Grant’s vision: “I wholeheartedly believe such Kingdom-building efforts in Iraq will ultimately outweigh even the most momentous political and military maneuverings. I am honored to help serve our brothers and sisters in Iraq as they grow in grace and as they faithfully persevere in the face of staggering opposition forces.”

Rough-rough Draft-draft Sketch-sketch

Six Week Study of Islam

*Six weeks
*Five days a week
*Six lessons
*Five sections a week

*1st lesson—introduction and overview
*2nd thru 6th lessons—Five Pillars of Islam

*Perspective: the devil has no stories
*Borrowed/twisted Jewish and Christian ideas
*Through New Eyes

*For American teenagers

The Five Pillars of Submission:

Shahada—the profession of faith—“There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet”—to be offered daily by every Muslim

Salat—the five-times-daily Rakatin prayer and worship of the Muslim

Zakat—the pious Muslim discipline of almsgiving and the disposition of property

Haj—the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca every Muslim must take

Saum—the daytime fasting (from all food and drink) ritual of a Muslim during the month of Ramadan

********************
“Anyone who kept them was a faithful Umma, a true believer. Anyone who did not was a Kafir, an infidel. Such a straightforward standard of works-righteousness made the life of faith an extraordinarily simple, quantifiable, and mechanical process.”—Grant, Blood of the Moon, pg 43

In Islam, salvation is attainable through human agency. There is no real comprehension of the Fall. In Christianity, redemption must be attained apart from an individual’s feeble attempts. Such salvation is found in the person of Christ.

The three words of the gospel: guilt, want, substitution. (Martin Luther)

Ayatollah Khomeini’s quote on pg 123 of Blood

Lesson #1: Fake mountain top experience, fake name, moving east, all pointing back to man’s inherent, though possibly unconscious, longing to abide on the hill of the Most High.
-->From Pillar to Post—the idea of either the ten commandments or the ten thousand commandments; the idea of Islam’s five pillars to Christianity’s one post—the substitutionary cross of Christ and the call of God’s elect to live as servants (doulas)

Babel and Evil: Maximum Maturation

Creation by Jordan

We’ve talked a bit about wheat and tares in classes, and how good and evil grow side by side until the day that the harvest is reaped—at which point the tares will wither into unsubstantive nothingness. There was another maturation idea that I was trying to think through which was brought up by Jordan in Creation. It had to do with how much Adam and Eve knew in the beginning. For instance, we know that bread and wine were not around until the time of Noah. Is that a picture of not only the growth of the fruit of the earth but in knowledge of husbandry? The creation was not prefabricated. It had to mature into the cycles of growth brought on by the tending of man through the seasons of sowing and reaping.

Secondly, how advanced was language at creation. Did mankind start out with oral traditions, and where, when, and how did writing begin. It couldn’t have begun with Moses because hundred of years of history would have been left to the telephone method. There must have been some written records that were compiled and edited to make the canonical Genesis account.

So, if mankind had to mature in the areas of gardening and social development, after the fall there was plenty of room to mature in the area of sin and evil. Man’s imagination had the opportunity to come up with all kinds of engineering, entrepreneurial, and inventive advancements while at the same time crafting perverse, profane, and odious wickedness.

With the Babel debacle came God’s acknowledgement that evil had reached its greatest height yet. Genesis 11:6 says of the attempt to rebel against name, calling, and place,

“…and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”

To what point in mankind’s maturity do the words of Solomon first adhere? “There is nothing new under the sun.” Is it at Babel? Is that the point at which everything that could be done had been done and then became about perfection rather than discovery? Is all maturity now just a variation on a theme until the day that the wheat and tares are separated?

Ride Your Pony

“Before Eve noticed that the fruit was good, she had already, sinfully, begun to distrust God’s goodness.” —Peter Leithart, Heroes, pg. 58

“Your walk talks and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder than your talk talks,” or so the old saying goes. “When we think,” says E.F. Schumacher, “we do not just think: we think with ideas” (Sire, How to Read Slowly, pg.14). And as we have seen, “ideas have consequences.”

It is a proven fact that Matthew was right when he said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (12:34). We mull over things before we say them. We hold councils, debate imaginary people, or argue with those who have done us wrong all before opening our mouths. Ideas, beliefs, prejudices will manifest themselves in some way unless the heart is dealt with first. We will never be able to truly repent until we can see that surface sins have roots. It’s that one vulnerable moment when we allow ourselves to believe that God’s not moving quickly enough or in the right direction so we must be commissioned to take charge. We run headfirst into the twin sins of pride and unbelief. Taking such a plunge in no way diminishes the sovereignty or deity of God as eternal truth, but the acknowledgment within our own hearts manifests our disbelief in His authority by the consequences of such an idea.

What we say and what we do may be two different things. But it is the maturation and correlation of practice and principle that is the spiritual journey towards a right understanding of God’s sovereignty.

Angels and Man

Milton, SS Class, etc.

Angels are messengers, guardians, worship leaders, and judgment callers. They are sent from God to announce the births of Isaac, Samson, John the Baptist, and Jesus. They are the protectors of God’s holiness from the arc of the covenant to His mercy seat enthroned in heaven. They are the heavenly host—the worship leaders proclaiming the glory and mercy of God within the inner sanctuary of heaven. They pronounce God’s judgment upon the proud, rebellious kings of the earth. But the Bible speaks of another group of angels—mankind—given a specific role to play that even the heavenly hosts have no mandate to fulfill—the proclamation of the gospel.

1 Peter 1:10-12 gives explanation for these equally heaven-sent messengers:

"Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look."

If that’s not purpose, I don’t know what is. The grace that has been extended to believers transforms the Christian into a vessel of grace—a messenger in word and deed through which the world may come to that same redemptive grace of the gospel.