It is common to hear, when an athlete tests positive for performance enhancing drugs, that there was no way it could have been an accident. When competing at such an elite level, these athletes are meticulous in what they ingest into their bodies. My favorite example is when Manny Ramirez tested positive... for a fertility drug used by women! (It masks synthetic testosterone, in case you were wondering) To say he could have taken such a drug by accident is absurd. These athletes depend not only on their skill, but most importantly on their health. If they are out of shape or sickly, their performance suffers and ultimately so does their paycheck.
Ever wonder how movie stars stay so fit and trim? They make enough money to hire personal chefs and personal trainers to ensure their fitness. And their lifestyles afford them the luxury to take as much time as they need to get in shape for that next big role. Like the athlete, their livelihoods depend on their health and appearance.
Simply put, at the superstar level, these people make their bodies their slave.
Paul wrote about this in his first letter to the Corinthians, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
Or without the religious jargon, "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. So I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that I will not be disqualified for the prize."
Every detail controlled. Every minute of training accounted for. Every calorie counted. The elite makes his and or her body their slave.
Slave isn't a word we use a lot these days. There's just too much baggage that loads the term. Even New Testament scriptures about slaves obeying their masters get a 20th Century gloss-over to apply to employee-boss relationships. Never mind the fine print that follows, "as if you are serving God, not men." But lets call it what it is. Slavery. Bondage. No rights. No freedom. Slavery.
We are all slaves to something. We might be slaves to our jobs. We might be slaving over housework. We have all been, and may continue to be, slaves to sin. We are slaves to the grind.
But are you a slave to Christ? In the tenth chapter of Kyle Idleman's book Not a Fan, Kyle talks about slavery. Not the whips and chains version. Or the kidnapped and shipped overseas to be sold at auction version. But the slavery where we give up all our rights, all our privileges, and make Jesus Christ our master. He makes the contrast that fans of Jesus never become his slave. They cry out to defend their freedoms: my pastor said this, but I think... our church voted to have... I know the Bible says, but... What we think what we want is more important than what Jesus commands. Oh yeah, and majority rules. The twelve Apostles could have out-voted Jesus anytime, but they functioned like a consensus group.
NO! Jesus' Apostles may not have known what they were getting themselves into, but they knew they were giving up everything. Oh yeah, that's a popular Bible verse: "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33) Anyone. Everything. Or you cannot. There is no grey area of compromise here. There is no voting. There is no sensitivity to your rights as an individual. No, Jesus is you master and you are his slave.
If you were to give up drinking on the weekends because you were training for a marathon, you would probably be encouraged by your friends. But if you gave up drinking because you are a slave to Jesus, you should expect to be mocked. If you go on a diet at the beginning of the year because losing weight was a New Year's resolution, most would relate and say they're doing the same thing. But fast from something for 40 days to draw closer to God (when it's not prescribed on a church calendar to do so) and few would understand. A friend invites you to an R-rated movie and you turn it down because you can't afford it, your friend would understand. But try and explain to someone that you don't have cable at home because of the filth that permeates every station. Cutting back on expenses because times are tough? Sure, why not? Cutting back on expenses because you give at least 10% of what you earn back to God, and you're part of a legalistic church.
Which of those examples did you relate most to? As you go about your walk with Jesus are you really submitting to him as a slave? Or are you twisting his teaching to suit your wants and needs and making Jesus your slave?
This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Eyes and Ears
I don't have a lot to say about this week's reading from Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis and Beth Clark. I encourage you to check out my friends' posts over at Connecting to Impact.
When watching over a little girl dying from malaria, Katie wrestles with the poverty and disease right before her while remembering the luxury and comfort she left behind in the United States. Katie writes, "My heart began to break over and over for the other children around the world who had no one to protect them, no one to speak up for them, no one to sit up with them at night and control their fevers. Who would hold them? Who would sing to them?" (pg 70)
Dare I be so bold to say that Katie is wrong? God makes it clear in His Word that He is the ultimate advocate for the poor, the hopeless, and the forgotten. And as Katie herself admits in this chapter, it was He who put her right in that place for His purpose.
When I read this chapter, my mind went right to the story of Hagar from Genesis. Long story short, God promised a child to Abraham and Sarah but didn't say when. Impatient, Abraham lays with his servant, Hagar and she bears him a son, Ishmael. Fearing for her life she flees. We pick up the story in verse 7 from Genesis 16:
The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”
The angel of the LORD also said to her:
“You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”
She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. (Genesis 16:7-15)
Two important Hebrew words in this story. One, the name of Hagar's newborn son, Ishmael means "God hears" and El Roi, for whom she named the well after, means "The God who sees". Hagar was all alone and afraid. She was rejected, who would advocate for her? The God who sees, that's who. Later when she goes her own way, leaving Abraham and Sarah, she wanders the desert expecting to starve and die. Again, the God who hears intervenes.
No need on this earth is unknown to the Lord of Hosts. And we are put exactly where we are for His specific purpose. Pray and ask the God who sees and He who hears, to open your eyes and ears to the needs around you that you, and you alone, can meet.
This blog is part of a book club reading Kisses from Katie. Jason Stasyszen and Sarah Salter are leading the discussion. Head over to their blogs for more.
When watching over a little girl dying from malaria, Katie wrestles with the poverty and disease right before her while remembering the luxury and comfort she left behind in the United States. Katie writes, "My heart began to break over and over for the other children around the world who had no one to protect them, no one to speak up for them, no one to sit up with them at night and control their fevers. Who would hold them? Who would sing to them?" (pg 70)
Dare I be so bold to say that Katie is wrong? God makes it clear in His Word that He is the ultimate advocate for the poor, the hopeless, and the forgotten. And as Katie herself admits in this chapter, it was He who put her right in that place for His purpose.
When I read this chapter, my mind went right to the story of Hagar from Genesis. Long story short, God promised a child to Abraham and Sarah but didn't say when. Impatient, Abraham lays with his servant, Hagar and she bears him a son, Ishmael. Fearing for her life she flees. We pick up the story in verse 7 from Genesis 16:
The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”
The angel of the LORD also said to her:
“You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”
She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. (Genesis 16:7-15)
Two important Hebrew words in this story. One, the name of Hagar's newborn son, Ishmael means "God hears" and El Roi, for whom she named the well after, means "The God who sees". Hagar was all alone and afraid. She was rejected, who would advocate for her? The God who sees, that's who. Later when she goes her own way, leaving Abraham and Sarah, she wanders the desert expecting to starve and die. Again, the God who hears intervenes.
No need on this earth is unknown to the Lord of Hosts. And we are put exactly where we are for His specific purpose. Pray and ask the God who sees and He who hears, to open your eyes and ears to the needs around you that you, and you alone, can meet.
This blog is part of a book club reading Kisses from Katie. Jason Stasyszen and Sarah Salter are leading the discussion. Head over to their blogs for more.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
How Far Would You Go?
If you call someone and ask them to meet you at 5:00 AM to pray, they are likely to think you're crazy. If you call the same person and ask them to meet you at the gym, that would be normal. If you were to move across the country to plant a church in a city you've never been, your family would probably raise their eyebrows. But if you made the same decision, but instead in order to go to college or for a job, most would be joyful for your decision.
The standard of how far is far enough moves depending on what we're talking about. In the current economic climate, uprooting your family for a job isn't unreasonable. But to uproot your family and serve in the Third World would seem strange. If you ask a stranger in the grocery store parking lot about their new car, it's not at all awkward. But stop that same person in the parking lot and ask them about Jesus and expect a cold response. It might be ok to your friends if you tell them you can't stay out as late Saturday night because you have church that morning. Unless the big game is on early and you'd miss it for church.
So how far would you go to follow Jesus?
The name Aron Ralston may not be familiar, but I'm sure you've heard his story. He is the hiker and climber whose arm got stuck behind a rock and had to cut it off in order to survive. He is the subject of the movie 127 Hours. Before the book and the movie, I saw his story on the Today Show. My eyes could have fallen out of my head they were open so wide as I heard his story of survival. In a nutshell: he went hiking, didn't tell anyone where he was going, and while working through a crevice a boulder dislodged and rolled over his arm trapping him. After five days, delirious and out of water, he amputated his arm with a dull knife from his multi-tool. Let me say that again so it can sink in, he cut off his arm with a dull knife.
As dramatic as that sounds, the simple fact of the matter is if he hadn't, he would not have survived. As if that weren't enough, he then had to repel down a 65 foot rock face, and hike 8 miles back to his truck. All while dehydrated and bleeding to death. He mentioned in one interview, "I had amputated my arm within minutes of when they had found the truck. If I hadn't chopped off my arm they would have found me but I would have been dead. It would have been days later. Had I chopped off my arm earlier, then the helicopter wouldn't have been there and I would have bled to death." Impeccable timing, or something more divine?
The first reaction to that story is to put yourself in his shoes and ask yourself if you could have done the same thing. It is hard to imagine myself, stuck like that in the same spot, breaking my arm in order to get through the bone and having to sever nerves in order to pull myself away. In fact, even typing this, I shudder. But how far would you go to survive?
Now how do we make the leap from this true story to our pursuit of Jesus? Again I ask, how far would you go to survive? Jesus relates in a parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:44-46)
The man sold all he had with joy because he knew what he was getting was worth so much more. The life and death implication may not be obvious, so let me add, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.'"(Matthew 16:24-25, emphasis added)
Following Jesus is a matter of life and death. So if you are trapped in your sin, how far would you go? To further drive the point, "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5:30, emphasis added)
So one last time, how far would you go?
This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.
The standard of how far is far enough moves depending on what we're talking about. In the current economic climate, uprooting your family for a job isn't unreasonable. But to uproot your family and serve in the Third World would seem strange. If you ask a stranger in the grocery store parking lot about their new car, it's not at all awkward. But stop that same person in the parking lot and ask them about Jesus and expect a cold response. It might be ok to your friends if you tell them you can't stay out as late Saturday night because you have church that morning. Unless the big game is on early and you'd miss it for church.
So how far would you go to follow Jesus?
The name Aron Ralston may not be familiar, but I'm sure you've heard his story. He is the hiker and climber whose arm got stuck behind a rock and had to cut it off in order to survive. He is the subject of the movie 127 Hours. Before the book and the movie, I saw his story on the Today Show. My eyes could have fallen out of my head they were open so wide as I heard his story of survival. In a nutshell: he went hiking, didn't tell anyone where he was going, and while working through a crevice a boulder dislodged and rolled over his arm trapping him. After five days, delirious and out of water, he amputated his arm with a dull knife from his multi-tool. Let me say that again so it can sink in, he cut off his arm with a dull knife.
As dramatic as that sounds, the simple fact of the matter is if he hadn't, he would not have survived. As if that weren't enough, he then had to repel down a 65 foot rock face, and hike 8 miles back to his truck. All while dehydrated and bleeding to death. He mentioned in one interview, "I had amputated my arm within minutes of when they had found the truck. If I hadn't chopped off my arm they would have found me but I would have been dead. It would have been days later. Had I chopped off my arm earlier, then the helicopter wouldn't have been there and I would have bled to death." Impeccable timing, or something more divine?
The first reaction to that story is to put yourself in his shoes and ask yourself if you could have done the same thing. It is hard to imagine myself, stuck like that in the same spot, breaking my arm in order to get through the bone and having to sever nerves in order to pull myself away. In fact, even typing this, I shudder. But how far would you go to survive?
Now how do we make the leap from this true story to our pursuit of Jesus? Again I ask, how far would you go to survive? Jesus relates in a parable, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:44-46)
The man sold all he had with joy because he knew what he was getting was worth so much more. The life and death implication may not be obvious, so let me add, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.'"(Matthew 16:24-25, emphasis added)
Following Jesus is a matter of life and death. So if you are trapped in your sin, how far would you go? To further drive the point, "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5:30, emphasis added)
So one last time, how far would you go?
This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.
Friday, February 24, 2012
The Devil Made Me Do it
A few days ago my son told me how he made a decision at school not based on simple right or wrong but whether or not I would get mad at him. Even more, he said he thought Satan would have made me mad at him.
First I wanted to encourage him not to be afraid of me getting mad at him and had a deeper talk about right and wrong. But I wanted to dig deeper on what he meant by saying Satan would make me mad at him. Amazingly he recalled a conversation we had months ago when he asked me if Satan was real. I think this was around Halloween and he was afraid to go to bed. So I described how Satan wasn't some monster that would come to us in the night to harm us, but instead he gets in our hearts to trick us into making bad decisions. He dropped it then and peacefully went to sleep, so I was surprised to hear this come up now.
Satan is a tricky subject to tackle, especially for a seven year old. Even believing adults struggle with the notion of a fallen angel running around causing us to do bad. On one extreme some will blame everything on Satan, from catching a cold or a series of red lights that makes one late for work to serious sin and addiction. The other extreme considers Satan "an idea" that represents all that is evil. Of course the truth is somewhere in between. But to someone not as devout in their faith, either notion makes Satan sound more like the boogeyman than the real spiritual force he is.
It is with this latter attitude that the media has approached Presidential candidate Rick Santorum's comments from 2008 where he stated that Satan had his "sights on" America. To the infamous Main Stream Media, someone who believes in Satan is as foolish and naive as someone who believes in the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
But according to this MSNBC news piece, a 2007 Gallup poll and a Harris poll in 2009 show that most Americans (7 in 10 and 60%, respectively) believe the devil is real. Yet a 2009 Barna survey of self-identified Christians (versus the broad swath of Americans in the other studies) shows that 59% either agree or somewhat agree with the description of Satan as an idea or symbol of evil versus an actual living being.
While on the surface, it looks like these polls are contradictory, the devil is in the details. In the first two, people we asked simply if they "believed in the Devil" where Barna gets more specific. In that context, Barna found that 92% of those polled believe in some notion of the Devil.
Of course none of this data is relevant in choosing whether Santorum should be the president. Yet it highlights the diversity in the nuances of our faith. There is no broad-brush "Christian" in America that can be painted into a single corner politically no matter how much the media may try.
But I digress. I'm interested in you; what do you believe about Satan? Is he real or symbolic?
First I wanted to encourage him not to be afraid of me getting mad at him and had a deeper talk about right and wrong. But I wanted to dig deeper on what he meant by saying Satan would make me mad at him. Amazingly he recalled a conversation we had months ago when he asked me if Satan was real. I think this was around Halloween and he was afraid to go to bed. So I described how Satan wasn't some monster that would come to us in the night to harm us, but instead he gets in our hearts to trick us into making bad decisions. He dropped it then and peacefully went to sleep, so I was surprised to hear this come up now.
Satan is a tricky subject to tackle, especially for a seven year old. Even believing adults struggle with the notion of a fallen angel running around causing us to do bad. On one extreme some will blame everything on Satan, from catching a cold or a series of red lights that makes one late for work to serious sin and addiction. The other extreme considers Satan "an idea" that represents all that is evil. Of course the truth is somewhere in between. But to someone not as devout in their faith, either notion makes Satan sound more like the boogeyman than the real spiritual force he is.
It is with this latter attitude that the media has approached Presidential candidate Rick Santorum's comments from 2008 where he stated that Satan had his "sights on" America. To the infamous Main Stream Media, someone who believes in Satan is as foolish and naive as someone who believes in the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
But according to this MSNBC news piece, a 2007 Gallup poll and a Harris poll in 2009 show that most Americans (7 in 10 and 60%, respectively) believe the devil is real. Yet a 2009 Barna survey of self-identified Christians (versus the broad swath of Americans in the other studies) shows that 59% either agree or somewhat agree with the description of Satan as an idea or symbol of evil versus an actual living being.
While on the surface, it looks like these polls are contradictory, the devil is in the details. In the first two, people we asked simply if they "believed in the Devil" where Barna gets more specific. In that context, Barna found that 92% of those polled believe in some notion of the Devil.
Of course none of this data is relevant in choosing whether Santorum should be the president. Yet it highlights the diversity in the nuances of our faith. There is no broad-brush "Christian" in America that can be painted into a single corner politically no matter how much the media may try.
But I digress. I'm interested in you; what do you believe about Satan? Is he real or symbolic?
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Annoyances or Blessings?
A couple of Fridays ago my daughter had to get six stitches in her chin. According to her teachers, she fell from some playground equipment. According to her, she was running with her eyes closed. Knowing her personality, I can believe both.
I had the day off, but had dialed in to a meeting. About half-way in, the phone rang and I didn't recognize the number of her school. A couple of minutes later, my wife called. And called. And called. About the third time I figured I better answer the phone.
Slightly annoyed by the interruption, I answered. After hearing what had happened I responded with the usual husband-speak, "uh huh, oh ok, uh huh..." and told her that my meeting was almost done and I'd head over after. (In my defense, at this point, the school was saying the standard, "oh, don't worry we put a band-aid on it and some ice. She's not crying..."
Another couple of minutes pass and the phone rings again. "Sheesh, can't I get a break?" I thought to myself. My wife tells me that they think she might need stitches. "Oh, ok. I'll sign off and head right over."
Still annoyed I head over to the school (my wife beat me there) pick my daughter up and take her to the doctor. I remained totally into myself up to the point the nurse removed her bandage to reveal the depth of the wound. Then all my attention was squarely on my precious daughter.
Parenting sucks. I say that just because I'm selfish. I like my own time. I like to pick my own movies. I like to have my own spot on the bed that I won't be crowded out from at four in the morning. And I like my days off. But I love my children.
I think of the blessing of having a job that provides insurance so that my daughter could get her stitches. I am blessed that I have days off for times such as this. I am blessed with a wife who is less selfish than I am to keep me on my toes and help me feel compassion towards my children. I am blessed that my daughter was even in school in the first place where she could eventually hurt herself.
Not everyone is so blessed. Katie Davis relates in Kisses from Katie how she begins to adopt some of the children around her. These children are lucky if they can go to school. Lucky to have homes made of clay with tin roofs. Lucky if someone will attend to them in the hospital. I say lucky, not blessed, because the blessings come later. Katie is a blessing meeting their needs to allow them to attend school. She is a blessing to open up her home to others when theirs is washed away by rain. She is a blessing to pay for medical care so that a nurse will actually pay attention to the crying little girl on a cot. She is a blessing to allow herself to be called "mommy" by children who do not have one. Or I should say, didn't have one before. And Katie accepts all of this lovingly, with joy and thanksgiving seeing what God is doing in her life.
Maybe the bad attitudes, frustrations and selfishness didn't make it past the editor's desk and are left on the cutting room floor, to mix metaphors. But as I read this book, I believe she is sincere. Yes, this is hard, she admits that. But she doesn't care. And that convicts me because it puts parenting in perspective. Her perspective, not mine.
"Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him." (Psalm 127:3 NLT)
This blog is part of a book club reading Kisses from Katie. Jason Stasyszen and Sarah Salter are leading the discussion. Head over to their blogs for more.
I had the day off, but had dialed in to a meeting. About half-way in, the phone rang and I didn't recognize the number of her school. A couple of minutes later, my wife called. And called. And called. About the third time I figured I better answer the phone.
Slightly annoyed by the interruption, I answered. After hearing what had happened I responded with the usual husband-speak, "uh huh, oh ok, uh huh..." and told her that my meeting was almost done and I'd head over after. (In my defense, at this point, the school was saying the standard, "oh, don't worry we put a band-aid on it and some ice. She's not crying..."
Another couple of minutes pass and the phone rings again. "Sheesh, can't I get a break?" I thought to myself. My wife tells me that they think she might need stitches. "Oh, ok. I'll sign off and head right over."
Still annoyed I head over to the school (my wife beat me there) pick my daughter up and take her to the doctor. I remained totally into myself up to the point the nurse removed her bandage to reveal the depth of the wound. Then all my attention was squarely on my precious daughter.
Parenting sucks. I say that just because I'm selfish. I like my own time. I like to pick my own movies. I like to have my own spot on the bed that I won't be crowded out from at four in the morning. And I like my days off. But I love my children.
I think of the blessing of having a job that provides insurance so that my daughter could get her stitches. I am blessed that I have days off for times such as this. I am blessed with a wife who is less selfish than I am to keep me on my toes and help me feel compassion towards my children. I am blessed that my daughter was even in school in the first place where she could eventually hurt herself.
Not everyone is so blessed. Katie Davis relates in Kisses from Katie how she begins to adopt some of the children around her. These children are lucky if they can go to school. Lucky to have homes made of clay with tin roofs. Lucky if someone will attend to them in the hospital. I say lucky, not blessed, because the blessings come later. Katie is a blessing meeting their needs to allow them to attend school. She is a blessing to open up her home to others when theirs is washed away by rain. She is a blessing to pay for medical care so that a nurse will actually pay attention to the crying little girl on a cot. She is a blessing to allow herself to be called "mommy" by children who do not have one. Or I should say, didn't have one before. And Katie accepts all of this lovingly, with joy and thanksgiving seeing what God is doing in her life.
Maybe the bad attitudes, frustrations and selfishness didn't make it past the editor's desk and are left on the cutting room floor, to mix metaphors. But as I read this book, I believe she is sincere. Yes, this is hard, she admits that. But she doesn't care. And that convicts me because it puts parenting in perspective. Her perspective, not mine.
"Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him." (Psalm 127:3 NLT)
This blog is part of a book club reading Kisses from Katie. Jason Stasyszen and Sarah Salter are leading the discussion. Head over to their blogs for more.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
You're an All Star
So far blogging through Kyle Idelman's book Not a Fan, I've drawn spiritual lessons from Tim Tebow, John Wall, and Josh Hamilton. At some point I plan on writing about Jeremy Lin, Rulon Gardner, Billy Beane and others if the opportunity presents itself. It's nice to look at these superstars and draw encouragement and inspiration from their lives or their play on the field/court/mat. But these athletes represent the cream of the crop, the top percent of athletic skill. Let's face it, it is unlikely you or I will ever play in the Super Bowl or run in the Olympics. These athletes are in exclusive company.
Just how exclusive? According to the NCAA only 0.03% of high school boys who play basketball go on to play professionally, 0.02% of women. Football is slightly better with 0.09% of high school players making the pros. If you are living vicariously through your children and dream of them making the big time, your best bet is to steer them towards baseball where 0.5% of high school players go on to play in the pros. (But note that last number does not mean the Major Leagues; baseball has an expansive minor league system where most players never see a pitch above single A).
What is even more exclusive than being the pros is being an All Star. Headlines were made last week noting that Blake Griffin is not in the NBA slam dunk competition and that Jeremy Lin isn't in the three-point shootout. There are omissions to the All Star team every year in every sport that leave fans scratching their heads.
But imagine you or I making the All Star team. How out of place would we be? The college hoops team I root for shot 1-10 the last nine minutes of their game last weekend. They lost the lead against their arch-rivals the first and only time with three minutes left and never recovered. A fan might call that a choke. Now picture that team suiting up for the All Star game, practicing jump shots for the three-pointer competition. Yet even those players are better than most of us watching the game from our Lay-Z-Boy.
Another exclusive crowd were the young men in Jesus' day who were selected to learn under a Rabbi. It was an honor and source of familial pride. A Rabbi didn't pick just anyone. It was the equivalent of being chosen to suit up in the NFL. But that's not how Jesus operated. He hand-picked the rejected. In fact, instead of waiting for others to ask to follow him he went out and asked fishermen, tax collectors and political rebels to follow him. And when he taught to the crowds he was explicit in his invitation "if anyone would follow me..."
Kyle uses the example of Matthew the tax collector in chapter 8 to emphasize Jesus' open invitation. The application for you and me is that we have a better chance of being chosen to follow Jesus than to be a professional athlete. Based on the numbers above, that doesn't say much. But Jesus' invitation to follow him is all-inclusive.
The word sin is used in archery to describe when one misses the target. Me, I've missed the target a lot. I've bricked the wide open jumper, whiffed at the [slow pitch softball] pitch, dropped the pass. I'm not going to make any All Star team. But Jesus invites me to play for him anyway. Let that sink in. Jesus actually wants me to be on his team. Ever been picked last on the playground wondering whether you'll get to play at all? Jesus picks you first. Ever miss the crucial play and hang your head in embarrassment? Jesus just selected you to be an All Star.
Kyle offers the challenge to those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus rather than just fans: are we as inclusive as Jesus? Or do we consciously pick our teams based on appearance? Our church, our demographic, our neighborhood, our ministry... how inclusive are you? Don't get me wrong, there is fine print here. Following every invitation from Jesus is the call "you must..." But do we close the door on people's faces before ever getting to that point?
The next time you stumble on the playing field of life remember that Jesus wants you on his team. And that neighbor, coworker, friend that is even a worse player than you? Jesus wants him and her on his team too.
This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.
Just how exclusive? According to the NCAA only 0.03% of high school boys who play basketball go on to play professionally, 0.02% of women. Football is slightly better with 0.09% of high school players making the pros. If you are living vicariously through your children and dream of them making the big time, your best bet is to steer them towards baseball where 0.5% of high school players go on to play in the pros. (But note that last number does not mean the Major Leagues; baseball has an expansive minor league system where most players never see a pitch above single A).
What is even more exclusive than being the pros is being an All Star. Headlines were made last week noting that Blake Griffin is not in the NBA slam dunk competition and that Jeremy Lin isn't in the three-point shootout. There are omissions to the All Star team every year in every sport that leave fans scratching their heads.
But imagine you or I making the All Star team. How out of place would we be? The college hoops team I root for shot 1-10 the last nine minutes of their game last weekend. They lost the lead against their arch-rivals the first and only time with three minutes left and never recovered. A fan might call that a choke. Now picture that team suiting up for the All Star game, practicing jump shots for the three-pointer competition. Yet even those players are better than most of us watching the game from our Lay-Z-Boy.
Another exclusive crowd were the young men in Jesus' day who were selected to learn under a Rabbi. It was an honor and source of familial pride. A Rabbi didn't pick just anyone. It was the equivalent of being chosen to suit up in the NFL. But that's not how Jesus operated. He hand-picked the rejected. In fact, instead of waiting for others to ask to follow him he went out and asked fishermen, tax collectors and political rebels to follow him. And when he taught to the crowds he was explicit in his invitation "if anyone would follow me..."
Kyle uses the example of Matthew the tax collector in chapter 8 to emphasize Jesus' open invitation. The application for you and me is that we have a better chance of being chosen to follow Jesus than to be a professional athlete. Based on the numbers above, that doesn't say much. But Jesus' invitation to follow him is all-inclusive.
The word sin is used in archery to describe when one misses the target. Me, I've missed the target a lot. I've bricked the wide open jumper, whiffed at the [slow pitch softball] pitch, dropped the pass. I'm not going to make any All Star team. But Jesus invites me to play for him anyway. Let that sink in. Jesus actually wants me to be on his team. Ever been picked last on the playground wondering whether you'll get to play at all? Jesus picks you first. Ever miss the crucial play and hang your head in embarrassment? Jesus just selected you to be an All Star.
Kyle offers the challenge to those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus rather than just fans: are we as inclusive as Jesus? Or do we consciously pick our teams based on appearance? Our church, our demographic, our neighborhood, our ministry... how inclusive are you? Don't get me wrong, there is fine print here. Following every invitation from Jesus is the call "you must..." But do we close the door on people's faces before ever getting to that point?
The next time you stumble on the playing field of life remember that Jesus wants you on his team. And that neighbor, coworker, friend that is even a worse player than you? Jesus wants him and her on his team too.
This post continues my series blogging through the book, Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman. I encourage you to follow along by clicking on the Not A Fan label to the right. And I urge you to pick up a copy of this book for yourself.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
You Can't Turn a Parked Car
Chapter 4 of Katie Davis' personal memoir, Kisses from Katie, sees Katie beginning to see the plan God has for her unfolding before her. She went to serve short term, teach in a kindergarten, share a little Jesus along the way. But soon she finds herself buying a large house (by Ugandan standards, not our own) from which to run her still undefined non-profit.
Katie describes this experience simply by saying, "I have learned that something happens when one makes herself available to God. He starts moving in ways no one could imagine." (pg 43)
A friend has a saying, you can't turn a parked car. In other words, God can't move you if you're standing still. Proverbs 16:9 reads, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." This assumes you're already walking.
Books like Crazy Love, Radical, Hole in Your Gospel, and now Kisses from Katie challenge my status quo. My heart is moved to do something. But I need to get up and start moving. Of course, it doesn't have to mean moving to Uganda like Katie. It might not mean moving at all. Sometimes it means saying yes to opportunity. But it might also mean saying no. It's up to God to determine the steps.
Not long ago, I thought I knew where I was stepping, but God changed my course. Now I don't know where I'm going, but I see God working around me. It doesn't make sense. It's not what I would plan. And I have absolutely no idea where I'm going.
Katie Davis first went to Uganda in 2007. This book took four years to write. I imagine it took that long to be able to look back and see what God had done and to appreciate what he was doing. I figure in my own life I will look back and see this "season" in my life completely differently than I see it now. Maybe. I don't know. But what I do know, God is directing the steps and my car is moving.
This blog is part of a book club reading Kisses from Katie. Jason Stasyszen and Sarah Salter are leading the discussion. Head over to their blogs for more.
Katie describes this experience simply by saying, "I have learned that something happens when one makes herself available to God. He starts moving in ways no one could imagine." (pg 43)
A friend has a saying, you can't turn a parked car. In other words, God can't move you if you're standing still. Proverbs 16:9 reads, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." This assumes you're already walking.
Books like Crazy Love, Radical, Hole in Your Gospel, and now Kisses from Katie challenge my status quo. My heart is moved to do something. But I need to get up and start moving. Of course, it doesn't have to mean moving to Uganda like Katie. It might not mean moving at all. Sometimes it means saying yes to opportunity. But it might also mean saying no. It's up to God to determine the steps.
Not long ago, I thought I knew where I was stepping, but God changed my course. Now I don't know where I'm going, but I see God working around me. It doesn't make sense. It's not what I would plan. And I have absolutely no idea where I'm going.
Katie Davis first went to Uganda in 2007. This book took four years to write. I imagine it took that long to be able to look back and see what God had done and to appreciate what he was doing. I figure in my own life I will look back and see this "season" in my life completely differently than I see it now. Maybe. I don't know. But what I do know, God is directing the steps and my car is moving.
This blog is part of a book club reading Kisses from Katie. Jason Stasyszen and Sarah Salter are leading the discussion. Head over to their blogs for more.
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