Thursday, February 26, 2009

its the end of the world.

Do you remember the old REM song lyrics "It's the End of the World as we know it... and I feel fine?" I think this song can sum up a lot of what is happening right now. Every day I hear people saying "its the end of the world" or something about "Armageddon" because of the economy or President Obama or President Bush (we apparently made it through without the world being destroyed) or global warming or a million other things. I am not saying that these things shouldn't be areas to have opinions on or trying to fight against the damage that can be done by them, but really, for most of us, we still feel fine. We may have lost a job, had to cut back on our spending, or even won/lost a political battle, but how affective is the doom and gloom alarmist mentality?

CS Lewis was asked in an interview 6 months before he died, "What do you think is going to happen in the next few years of history, Mr. Lewis?" His response was phenomenal. Lewis responds, "I have no way of knowing. The world might stop in 10 minutes; we are to go on doing our duty. The great thing is to be found at one's post as a child of God, living each day as if it were our last, but planning as if our world might last 100 years."

We need to focus now on the things that will make a difference for the future; social and environmental justice, personal savings, sharing the Gospel of Jesus, all while recognizing that the world can change, or even end at any time. Let's not focus all of our attention on this is the end of the world, but more so on what can we do before it does.

Maranatha. (O Lord, Come!)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

complexity part II.

A few weeks back when the economic stimulus package was being discussed, I had mentioned how complex economies, government, and social structures are. Yesterday, or the day before, I don't remember when exactly, I had another realization. Some might classify it as a panic attack, but I don't think so. If anything, it was one of those moments of anxiety when every part of your life seems to be crashing down and requiring something of you. Here in the Northeast, and probably around the rest of the US, we call that everyday life. I don't know exactly what I had to do or why I was so stressed about it. Perhaps it was seeing my mile long list of everything that I need to do with the house, work, Riverbend Community Church, Jonathan, Lindsey, seeing the needs of the yard, the neighborhood, the Lehigh Valley, the World and not knowing where to start, what to do next, or how to go about it.

At that moment, I just didn't want to do anything at all.

I think that is why we are told in the Bible to "Be still. And know that I am God." That is a very reassuring truth, with a very difficult practice. It's hard to be still, to not do anything, to stop thinking even for one minute. But we should. We are not told to be still because we shouldn't be productive, but rather because this is the way we stay sane, we keep our stress down, and even stay healthy. Our personal lives are more complex than they need to be, our work lives, our religion, even the gospel we make more complex than it actually is. Why? That I don't know. What I do know is that we need to find ways, as we live life together, to live simply, love genuinely, and act justly. We won't be able to start doing these things though, until we can "be still and know God." I should put that on my list of things to do.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

the best laid plans.

Jonathan has been doing well sleeping for a few nights. So yesterday, my wife and I took the day off to do some "life planning." It is amazing at how complex life can get when you throw a little one into the mix. So during our 5 hours of working out all the little things that need to get done each week (working out, eating, sleeping, work, reading the Bible) and discovering a new love for google calendars, we have a plan.

So last night, I was getting ready for bed and for an early wake up this morning for the gym when I heard Jonathan, who had been sleeping for about 3.5 hours, gagging and coughing. I run down to his room with dental floss hanging out of my mouth, to discover him throwing up all over himself and his crib. This was about 11 PM. This is Jonathan's first major stomach bug, so being a new parent I have a lot of emotions that probably are typical of this type of situation such as pity, saddness, and the ability to all of the sudden not be grossed out by the massive mess that is covering my son. Regardless, I was able to settle him down, give him another bath, change the sheets in his crib, all in about 15 minutes with Lindsey's help. Five minutes after that, he did it again.

Jonathan and I were in his rocking chair until 3 AM. He was getting sick every 10-15 minutes until 2 AM. Our newly laid plans are not off to a good start.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

complexity.

As I listen to the economic stimulus ideas being put forward by both sides of the aisle, I am amazed.  Sometimes the amazement comes from the obscene amount of money that the government wants to spend, other times I am astonished by the lack of sympathy that people can exhibit.  But either idea, one thing is for certain, their is great complexity to what is being proposed.  The second you make one change, it starts the process of changing ten others, and if you do not look down the line, your actions can have totally unintended consequences.  Life is always complicated and complex and I am thankful that I can be part of a community that recognizes the complexity of life.  More so, I am thankful that Christianity (at least Biblical Christianity) addresses the complexity of life.   

I wish life wasn't as complex as it is, but at least I don't have to decide how to spend 800 billion dollars.

Friday, February 6, 2009

what to do with passion.

I am really a big fan of John Eldredge and his writing. If you haven't read any of his works, you really should. He promotes our relationship with Christ, the battles of spiritual warfare, and how our passions and desires fit in to this faith we call Christianity. I got an update from his blog today and it truly resonated with what I believe some of my motives have been in launching Riverbend Community Church. Take a look at it here:

http://www.ransomedheartblog.com/john/2009/02/finding-church.html

I believe that what the church is lacking, at least in America, is a passion for life itself and all it has to offer. As Eldredge states, we are called to live life to the fullest, and you can't do that by supressing your passions. One of the precepts of Riverbend, is this thing called the New Covenant. Jesus talks about this in the gospels, but in essence, it is God giving us passions and desires that match His. But sometimes it feels as if the North American church is paralyzed by this idea of "passion" and "desire" of anything that isn't a praise song or Bible reading. I am glad that Riverbend is not one of these types of Churches. God has given us his Word, his edicts, his direction to help guide us, yes, but more so, to point us in a direction of knowing Him in relationship. That is the purpose of a church- to experience life (with all the passions God has given us) with others who are pursuing a relationship with the Maker of All. What's your purpose for Church?

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

bath time.

I have the priviledge of giving my 7 and a half month old son his bath every night.  He really enjoys bath time and I think he could spend hours in the bath if I let him.  Recently, he has discovered he can drop things out of his little blue bath tub and then he looks over the side and tries to grab it.  Tonight, he finally picked up one of the toys he threw over the side and when he did, he looked back at me with such a sense of accomplishment, desiring my approval.   I was struck with the following thought:

What if that is what God wants us to do.  He has given us the ability to do so many things and accomplish so much in  this world, and he takes joy when we look back at Him for that acknowledgement- that without God's acknowledgement, our deeds are not fulfilling.

I of course praised my son for being such a "big boy" and gave him a big kiss on the forehead.  Then he splashed me in the face.  But that is part of the fun.

I am thankful that God does look on us as His son's and daughters, looking for ways to praise us when we look toward Him.