An Open Letter to Jared C. Wilson

Dear Sir,

I read your article posted on the Gospel Coalition site December 18, 2013 regarding Mark Driscoll. I have not always been a fan of the man who, it seems at times, brings down the pulpit in an unsavory way. I don’t care for his unabashed use of poor language and topic from the stage that is his pulpit, regardless of his Seattle context. I was in college when I first heard him preach and he made the many blush and giggle and they thought it was cool. I vehemently disagree with his propagation of technology for the sake of attentiveness and relevance—for many reasons, some good others self-fish. I think, for the most part, his attire is as whimsical as the faux-hawk he maintained for a time.

I’m sure, though, I wouldn’t like John the Baptizer’s getup either—try to stand out much, John? I probably would have disagreed with Jeremiah’s whiney attitude; Jonah’s sulky, self-serving  complaints; instead of being encouraged by Paul and Peter's many miracles I might think them not helpful to everyone who can’t perform such acts—how are we going to woo them now? Then there are other Hall of Famers like Samson? There are a thousand people I have, would and do wholeheartedly disagree with, that annoy me or I roll my eyes at and secretly wish they would have one of their speeches with a bugger on their face for all to see.

As the saying goes, we must love the church, warts and all, even if some are warts and some are smooth spots. I don’t know Mark Driscoll; I’ve seen him in person twice. I also do not know you. It seems clear that you do not know Mark Driscoll either. This is why I was perplexed while reading your blog post about him. Though you identified that the situation at hand was not a Matthew 18 circumstance you did not refrain from casting your own portrait of the man who we both do not know. With the content of your post—yes, I read the caveats—I was hoping for a “Bless his heart” at the posts conclusion, at least.

I have followed your tweets with a mediocre interest—as I do with all twitters—and I am sure I disagree with more things more passionately than you do with Mark Driscoll. I would probably very much dislike having a beer him, though not due of the libations. However, this does not allow me, with the conscious God has given me and his Spirit within me, to let the world know how I feel about the man. “This is not a Matthew 18 situation” was a perfect place to stop writing. But you went on to issue complaints in the form of heart-felt concerns; listing his associations and differences as a proof of his straying from the. . . neo-Reformed movement? (admittedly I get confused with all the labels we have created.)

Why, if I may, was this article written? It wasn’t for him, as you stated; was it for us? If so, to what end? To, as you say, only highlight what has taken place? Okay. Was it so we could all be aware that we should unsubscribe to his podcasts, not read his plagiarized books—as an English major myself I was both appalled and confused, given technology and people to prevent such things--, send bad vibes his way? “Oh Lord, I thank you that I am not like these sinners. . .” We are to eat the meat and throw away the bone not throw away every chicken that looks funny. 

I found your post troubling and unfounded, purposeless. Admitting you don’t know the man yet in the same post assuring us that he does not have any worthy close accountability. In the non-nice version of life this is referred to as a smear; unfortunately in some rubber-ducky Christian realms, your post is some P.S.A. that we are to be grateful for. I’m not. I wish this was not written. The point that was made through the “I love you” hazing the entire post was I don’t like you and you should all not like him anymore.

I too am a fellow sinner, not by confession alone but by practice. I’m fully aware of my own stink. Judge me. Read all my grammatically poor posts, laugh at my theology if you like. I hope that you find this helpful. Not dramatic; not a poo-poo on all your work and effort and lifestyle and family. There is one purpose for this: to have you evaluate the post that you decided to paste for all the world to see and be confounded by. 

Again, Mark Driscoll is not perfect and I am not his biggest fan. But he is our brother, fellow citizen of Heaven and Christ died as much for him as yourself and the author of this post. Thank you for your time.

Brian A. McDaniel

Praise the LORD

There is no question. There is no suggestion. The Psalmist seems to both proclaim and demand it. "Praise the LORD!"

Irregardless of circumstance, feeling or, in a sense, faith: praise the LORD!

The bookend of Psalm 113 capitalizes the demanding nature of the one who has created all things. Is the writer joyful? Is the writer old or young? To whom is the writer specifically, in history, speaking to? We are left only with our guesses. But not as to whom we are to praise.

I find that in many ways and most times my caveats, logic, emotions, wisdom all seem to muck up the clear things about God. Yes it is good to think and reason and feel and express but God sometimes--probably most of the time--just says, "Son. Daughter. Atheist. Agnostic. Weak Person. Dying. Sinful. Smart. Beautiful. Wicked. Ugly. Praise me!"

How do you respond? "You don't exist!" "I can't." What do you mean, praise?" "Who are you?!" "No." or simply just ignore?

Not a mantra. Not a saying. Not a secret. Praise the LORD!

He is presiding over every ruler whether a family or nations. He is more than we may imagine; different in power, wisdom, love, yet, to degrees, knowable. "He raises the poor from the filth and exalts the needy from the grime." Why? So that they can be seated with those with power and influence and prosperity, of course. And they are not exalted among just anyone old prince, but the prince of his own people; those who may have scorned and made miserable their own life. The familiar faces would see and wonder at the change of life and outcome! God puts "the way the world goes" on its head. 

He also "gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children." We know that in this culture and time a barren woman could be looked at as dysfunctional and broken. But God, who really could do nothing and still be good, acts. He blesses. He loves. He shows compassion and mercy and kindness.

"Everyone" the Psalmist sings, "Praise the LORD!"

All are called. Some will obey. To all, God's glory is visible, but only some will see.

ignorant of his design

How important is grace to you? How important is love? Forgiveness?

Would you forfeit God's love and grace to you because you can't afford such kindness to others?

There is something that we present day Christians ignore: Satan has a strategic, intelligent, subtle and long-term plan as well. The Apostle Paul in his Second Letter to the Churches in Corinth talks about this issue, chapter 2 verse 11. Paul is very aware of the Devil and evil. He and the Apostle Peter talk at length about the ways in which evil maneuvers and schemes; how pervasive the plans of the Evil one are played out in day-to-day life with the subtly of a slight breeze. This is not the evil of Paranormal Activity, ghost stories or any of the exorcism movies or accounts, but a bigger and eternal end, which is meant to leave as many possible foreign to the love of God.

While we may well be reminded that God, in his eternal wisdom, power and love has a grandiose design for all things, we cannot forget that the Devil, in his keen, observant and endless desire to ruin all that is and can become good, also has an end game. I think that we quietly ignore the craft of Satan when we relegate him to scarry movies and abandoned buildings. The Devil is active. The Devil is real. The Devil is not "out to get you" but to defame God and unsettle and make shipwreck people's faith in God.

In 2 Corinthians 2.5-11 we see Paul's specific concern regarding this area. In Paul's First Letter to these churches he brought about many deeply wicked and harmful issues that were fostered in the churches. He gave warning and instruction. Paul taught that some in the church could only be dealt with by excommunication, taking away the hand of fellowship. This is a hard word from Paul, but Paul always knew, and he stated it in his Letter, that this was so that the wayward one, the one stuck in his sin, might be returned to the faith: restored! And though it took more words from Paul the people obeyed his teaching, the teaching from the Lord. This is where the Devil came in--taking something good and turning it on its head all over again. While the people of Corinth were obediently following God's way they were becoming bitter of heart and cold to those who were outcast. The particular evil design of Satan that Paul is here shining light on is the Church not forgiving the repentant believers, denying community and fellowship.  

God has shown time and time again that he will do what is necessary to bring his children's hearts and affections back to himself. Love is not known by its niceties, rather its tenacity for that which it loves! God has darkened my own connection with himself in order that I may long for him anew; his heart all the while loving with a love whose breadth I could never chart.

But the Corinthians, it seems, have forgotten the reason for putting this brother out of fellowship. And when he repents they are not accepting him back! Paul jumps on the Corinthians: "the punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I beg you to reaffirm your love for him." These are not suggestions by Paul but desperate command/pleas. Surely it may be unkind to not forgive such a one, but why such a BIG deal Paul? I mean, he did some bad stuff you know.

Here it is: if the people would not forgive and bring back in the ones who they formerly put out of the church, then they don't have the love of Christ; they would be denying the very power they are wanting; forfeiting the forgiveness that they need and rely on. Do you see it? Jesus said it, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew 6:15). If the Corinthians did not want to forgive and bring back in their once lost brother than they had no business being a part of God's people, for we are all wrapped up in the same story.

"The church is a cosmic relationship" one preacher said. We don't have the authority or luxury of choosing our blood-bought kin. God commands us to love and to forgive.

Obedience is tough.

Discipline is tough.

Forgiveness is tough.

So which will prevail in your own heart: the design of God or the designs of Satan?

Embracing you

I was recently listening to my paster preach a sermon in which he brought up the current culture's fascination with and determination to "be who you are." My mind went racing as this is a prevalent and predominant idea that has taken its place in the West's mind as certainty. The idea is that you should be who you are; wear your cloths how you want; laugh at what makes you laugh; pursue whatever is in your heart. Is that right thinking? Should a Christian, a follower of Jesus agree or disagree with this idea?

Initially, there seems there is a dichotomy, if we wrangle particular verses from the Bible's New Testament. A particular verse that would say "no" to societies belief is 2 Corinthians 5.17: "Therefore, if any one else is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come." We see the dominant and very clear teaching of Jesus and his followers of repentance, which many would explain as a turning from what you once pursued and followed to what God desires his children to follow and pursue. Also, there is the New Testament belief that the Holy Spirit indwells in the life of the believer; this meaning that the very Spirit of God teaches our own spirits what it is, through the reading of God's Words, prayer and fellowship with other believers, that God desires of his people, his children.

So how do these ideas fit in with our culture's idea of being yourself?

I think part of our culture's thought of self-recognition and fruition is rooted in selfishness. This selfishness most clearly plays itself out in the fact that we are told to be who we are and to pursue our dreams is spite of anyone else. Sacrifice is a no-no with this ideology. To pursue all that you want or desire fully means that you can only be thinking of yourself as primary: if your pursuit is supreme all other pursuits not wholly your own are secondary. Sacrifice says I will take the desires of others, including God, and make them my own supreme or primary goal. This is part of repentance and God's Spirit indwelling in the believer: God's desires become the believers chief desire. 

But there is also a sense in which the thought of our day hits a beautiful Biblical nerve: God made us and he made each individual to be a reflection of His own glory. There is a sense of individuality that God crafted into each person to be who He made them to be. We are all made to reflect and display different things through a vast array of mediums for one purpose: glorify God, help all the world to see God for who He is. 

Paul speaks of this when he says that each believer is is a piece making the whole of the Body of Christ. There is no need for a body to be all eyes or feet or hands but all must come together--arms, mouth, ear, eyes, etc.--to form the whole oneness that best and most truthfully and clearly displays Christ's body. So in this we see that tapping into, recognizing our uniqueness as an individual is glorifying to God if we utilize our gifts and desires and concerns and dreams as art of what God is doing in our world. God's Spirit does not only change us--by shaking and shaping us into the reality of God and the world and seeing and believing like we were formally incapable of doing--but God's Spirit also enlightens us and makes us realize in the truest sense our own self. We who were formed and fashioned by God cannot know who we completely and wholly are without God. 

I conclude, therefore, that the Christian may take this supreme cultural thought in portion. We cannot in our pursuit of being who God made us to be, step outside the bounds of God's decrees nor His wisdom which is established by many practical modes. We must use ourselves for the glory of God in the manor God has assigned us, which requires wisdom of our own and above all patience and humility. But we cannot know who God intended us to be unless we follow God and abide by Him. We cannot glorify God rightly with our gifts and abilities and pursuits unless we are doing so in conformity with His plans and timing. We are all God's but only those who trust in God will be, in the most truest sense, who they are. When God calls one to Himself, to follow and trust Him, he takes the individual and, as it were, brings to fruition what they were to become, in part. The "in part" will vanish though when the believer  steps into eternity, for the believer will then fully become all that that God intended for that person to be in Christ Jesus' full and clear and perfect and holy and unhindered presence.

Son Number One: Reuben

In the Old Testament Jacob, that sneaky younger brother, was blessed by God and given a new name, Israel.Though we may be familiar with some of his sons, maybe Joseph, Benjamin and Judah, perhaps even Levi, I thought it could be interesting to do snippets of some of the lesser known sons.

Reuben.

Reuben is the first-born son of Jacob. His mother is Leah. Now if you recall the marriage of Jacob and Leah was . . . well Leah's dad, Labon, really worked one over Jacob. Jacob was beshnooked by Rachel the first time he saw her. And like any rational young man, Jacob agreed to work for Rachel's father, Labon, for 7 entire years in order to gain Rachel's hand in marriage. But Labon, being an honorable scum bag, tricked Jacob. After Jacob's 7 years of working for Labon the wedding was at hand; the party ensued and the veiled bride was brought into the marriage chamber. After consummating the marriage, morning broke and revealed a terrible truth the Jacob: he had married Leah, Rachel's older and uglier sister. Oops. (In some way though, Labon was doing his fatherly duty; sorry Jacob).

Needless to say, coming from Leah, Reuben was not the most favorite of Jacob's sons. Leah had put all her hope in her son, hoping that because of Reuben Jacob would like her; in fact, the name Reuben means 'See, a son.' So she is saying to Jacob at this time, 'Look! Look what I've given you; won't you love me now?'

In Chapter 35 of Genesis we see Reuben take his elder brother privileges a bit far, for he sleeps with his father's concubine. That's right, he sleeps with the one whom his father has made children with--more about that alter.

You remember when all of Josephs older brothers were jealous of him and wanted to kill Joseph? Well remember that Joseph was not actually killed, rather he was sold into slavery? That change in plans was because of Reuben. So some of the brothers were sitting around plotting Joseph's murder and Reuben walks up with a staff in his hand and asks, 'What's up guys? Just tending to some sheep or what?' They reply, 'We are going to kill our young brother. That's what's going on.' Reuben, a bit taken back, 'Ugh, I don't think that's a fantastic idea like y'all do. I hate him too but if he I don't want that blood on my hands. Let's sell him in a pit instead.' (Reuben actually wanted to throw him in a pit so he could save him later.) So there you have it, Reuben came in (sorta) for the rescue. And when, I guess when Reuben was on a smoke break (?), the brothers sold Joseph to some passer-by and Reuben found out about it he tore his clothes--which was what they did in distress back then--and took Joseph's old robe and dipped in blood and telling his father that Joseph, unfortunately, was eaten by wolves.

Reuben never forgot about this incident and years later when the famine came and Joseph, who was in disguise, wanted to make his brothers nervous in Egypt, Reuben looked back and said, 'See!! I told you God would not let this go!' He, apparently, was backing-packing this guilt the whole time.

Well when ole dad was gettin up there in years he decided to go ahead and bless all of his boys. At this time and place in the world the oldest brother would receive almost, if not, all of his father's inheritance, along with all the power. So Reuben should rightly be thinking to himself, 'This is it, this is when I finally get all the blessing my father received from his father and God.' And when Jacob began, it seemed like it would happen that way. But it didn't turn out so good for Reuben. Jacob said clearly that because Reuben slept with Jacob's concubine he would not receive his inheritance normally due him. This would have rocked the socks off of Reuben in the worst and most disappointing of ways. In addition, it was said in that Reuben's line would be small--not a lot of people in comparison--this coming from Deuteronomy 33.

In the end, in Revelation, Reuben is still favored by God and blessed along with most of the other tribes of Israel.

It is important, I think, to see that sin has some very real and very lasting consequences. But we can also see that God's grace and love fulfill his promises and desires to do good to those who love him and repent.

helping others? I need help!

Have you ever had this thought: ‘I can’t help; I don’t have all my ducks in a row either’? Well I have. You’ve, no doubt, heard the saying, ‘I’m just a beggar showing other beggars where to find bread.’ We should accept this, realizing that the beggar is still begging. I’ve often wondered if Peter felt like an idiot saying anything after he betrayed Jesus and left his leader and friend to be killed all by himself. If I’m honest, if I were Peter I might not say anything ever again in public. Mess-ups and failures and sins are not the end; they are not what define those who are God’s children.

Take it from one who has, messing up in life does not disqualify you from helping others. Actually, if we are smart, we look to older people who have messed up but kept going. Wisdom fears God and within that idea is repentance, courage, hope, accepting God’s forgiveness, proceeding. If we are tagged only by what we’ve failed at we will be of no help to others. 

We sin. I hate sinning. It sucks the life out of everyone. But it isn’t the end. Jesus said so when he woke up from the grave. Life together with God is the end. Though all may be against you today, God is for you. And that gives us reason to help out our co-beggars. The bible doesn’t say we must be without fault before we can give a parched person some water; God doesn’t say, ‘You better have all your spiritual ducks in a row before you forgive that person!!’ No, the sinning and screwing up does not need to be our life pattern anymore and if we have a way of encouraging another who is walking this difficult path we should use it, for ‘we all have gone astray, everyone to his own way’ and ‘there is no one who is righteous, not even one.’ 

So do you have that friend who you can help today? Don’t grow your past faults by withdrawing, go and help. We must not want others to experience the fire as we have. This is to love others more than yourself.

how often can you fail?

Failure is a word I hate. Not that I infrequently encounter it, rather that it and I are too acquainted. For many, failure is associated with 'losing,' with 'not measuring up,' with 'not good enough,' with 'others are better,' with 'messed up,' and so on. And with some, it quickly unravels to the thought of 'no one, not even God or my closest family likes me.'

Failure is a field where lies can grow. Failure is also a pause in time where, if it is not met with goodness, can harm for years to come. I've felt many many times. Whatever arena it is found--sports, morality, relationships, writing--it can crush a soul.

But we don't have to live in the presence of our past; we don't have to wake up and live in the memory of yesteryear. It is not some magical mind trick; it is Jesus. 

All the times toy have not failed will never satisfy you. You can do 1,000 things perfectly right and the one thing you failed in will ruin it all. And if you did 1,000,000,000,000 things right you'd feel even WORSE about the one failure! You can't escape the imperfection of who you are. But we can go to Jesus in our imperfection and know that we are forgiven, we are loved, our existence is worth maintaining.

We are all going to fail in a multitude of magnitude and type. But if we are walking with Jesus our failures don't win; he wins. Death won't sting, it'll open a big door entering Jesus' brothers and sisters into an eternity without the torment of those mistakes we all have made.

God is good in his grace he grandiosely provides. If we are his, our failure loses, not us.

forgetting your memory

We sometimes like to use Paul's words in Philippians, where he says, 'forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,' as a reason to never ever be thankful or delighted to be the Christian God has made us. We reason that if Paul is ditching everything in his past to go hard after more and more of God then, by golly, so should we!

The over-the-top people always offend everyone else because they tell everyone how terrible of a Christian they are by not being like them; but then there are others who are all about some self-abasing-but-I-actually-pride-myself-a-lot inner thoughts kinda folks--it's easier to harbor my feelings of arrogance than manifest them. But both run with Paul's words of forgetting what's behind.

Is this past-neglecting really a commendable mental exercise?

No.

In the Old Testament God often told people to make memorials. This usually happened after God did something to save the people or fulfill a promise. The purpose of these, usually, mountains of rocks was for the purpose of remembering what God had done, how God blessed his people. When a family was traveling or exploring and they came across, say the monument built after the Jordan River crossing, it was to be used as a reference for a story; a story of how God, the YHWH they still worshiped, freed them and brought them, after 40 years of chasing their tail, to a Promised Land.

I personally, like some red-faced and sweating boss, want results immediately--YESTERDAY!--and it better be new and exciting. I have a hard time soaking in what God has done already. And Paul isn't saying Be unsatisfied with your worship; be unsatisfied with God; be unsatisfied in your walk with Jesus! Paul goes on to say Let us hold on to what we have already attained.

So let's remember what God has done. Let God's acts of time past give faith for today.

Jesus needed help

The Gospel according to Luke has some different perspectives than the other Gospels, especially with regard to Jesus' last days. So in Luke 22.43 we read that an angel from Heaven appeared to Jesus in his distress and strengthened Jesus.

Don't miss that: an angel from Heaven strengthened Jesus! 

I think it would be far too easy, though helpful, to summarize and say, 'If Jesus needed help, so do we.' But there is something bigger and better going on! God the Father knew that his son needed strengthening and the Father provided that strength for his son.

I don't know what the Greek word translated into 'strengthen' means, except strengthen; meaning, there was a lack or a need of provision form without. The Man needed God. God needed God. And God provided what was needed.

I'll be the first to admit that I also don't understand all the intricacies of Jesus' manhood and divinity at play here, it's all as clear as mud to me. That isn't the point though. This doesn't mean that God will give you everything you think you need. We can't take one story and mean it will happen for everyone.

But, as the children's song goes, 'when we are weak he is strong' because God loves us, his sons and daughters.

I'm not listening!

A silly strand of reason exists in some minds: if someone is wrong about one thing, they are more than likely not accurate in most. To believe such a farce is foolishness at its brightest.

You know what I'm talking about, right? Say you are listening to your new favorite broadcast. You have been learning interesting little facts about whatever and boom, the speaker says something you completely and from your core disagree with. Suddenly you've not only personally boycotted the now formerly new favorite person, but your tweets and Facebook status bemoans the individual (and if you are from the American South, you may add a 'but bless his heart' at the end.)

But I don't do that at all, you say. Oh yes you do, we do it all the time. A reason why we often think we don't fall into such a thing is because we do it to book writers. I will briefly give some reasons why you should read authors you know you don't agree with:

1. They may say just something helpful. Sure, you think they are snide, arrogant and better off living in Antarctica but who knows where something helpful might come from.

2. They may be more than their phrases. I know that often I can hear one thing come from someone's mouth (or pen) and assume ten thousand things about that person. How dumb is that? That's like meeting someone for the first time; they sneeze in the first five minutes and you assume their body is devolving and they are gonna die soon. Yea, doesn't make a lick of sense, so let's not do it with people's words.

3. We are arrogant and prejudice and opinionated ourselves. We assume that we are not only correct in our opinion--which we may or may not be--but that the other person is a little lower on the respect chain than the apes in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

4. We could be wrong... (gasp)....Ahem, I said we could be wrong! I know, I know; it is a terrible thing to think that our thoughts are not divinely inspired, beating a golden path of righteousness as we go, but...

5. We need to learn to familiarize and respect contrary opinions. Many resist the counter (I'm not talking about running away from table-tops), they plug their ears when they smell something different. We need to learn how to walk into uncomfortable arenas of thought; shut up; listen; learn and not dismiss everything as asinine or sophomoric or from the Devil. Respect does not mean aqueous, get trampled on or accept everything. It means understand the idea and not resort to sophisticated belligerence and name calling.

There is an old saying: Learn to eat the meat and throw away the bone. When you eat a chicken wing you eat the meat, not the bone. This saying is applied to listening. If you willingly listen to someone who might think upside down from you and not immediately discount them, you will learn!

I thought this was a biblical blog? It is. Because of what Jesus did in dying for sins and coming back to life, sticking it to sin and death, we don't have to be right all the time. That doesn't mean we should ignorantly live and be okay in our stupidity; rather, we can know that ultimately God's truth will always, in the very end, be revealed and win out. We can be humble enough to listen to other people and not tune them out because those who have been saved completely by someone elses doing are already humbled (we just forget it most days).

Any thoughts or additions? Please comment.        

puppy joy

I have a puppy. She is almost 5 months old. There were often times when I would go to let her out of her crate and notice that she had peed everywhere and, apparently not caring too much, laid in her own mess. But when I came to the crate door she would go crazy! Her mouth was open; her body was grooving; her tail whipping around. She didn't seem to remember how gross she was. In her joy of seeing me--and probably anyone else who would let her out--she disregarded her mess and stinky odor.

We should be more like her. We are constantly screwing up and making significant messes. But God continues to come; God continues to love. I am not at all saying we should be cool with our sin; but because of repentance and what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf we should not refuse joy. 

For some reason, I have a meter in my mind: if I sin I have to wait a certain time limit before being okay with God, before I can crack a smile. This is a lie, though. There is not a word in the bible about mortifying yourself for God, for repentance. John Owen, a long-time dead guy, said that we have to be killing sin or sin will be killing us. This is true. But we are not to be like the priest in The Scarlet Letter who would wound himself after committing sin. No, Jesus died for our sin; we need to add nothing. I don't want to sin and I don't want you to sin but, as the end of the book of Jude reminds us, it is God who will keep us from stumbling and who will present us without blemish and in joy before the Father. 

We should be quick to remember our Savior's strength, not our sinful succumbing. Because of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, sin is no longer a gateway to wrath; Jesus has tread on sin and unplugged its power. 

So we have the opportunity for joy, even in our messes, for God has done what we could not; he took a three-day trip where we would have been obligated to live; he undid all that we made and gave all that we could never earn. So we could wag our tails in his presence.

How can God work this out?

How many times have you said or thought some form of this: I just don't see how God can do anything with this situation or I don't see how God can work this out!

For me, it is easy to quickly conclude God a bad planner when my life stinks. I'll have a problem and see no solution in front of me so I naturally think God has abandoned me and humanity altogether. Maybe you are not so untrusting, but I can be. God, I don't see your solution; and if what I am living is your solution, it stinks. Often entrusting yourself to God feels like riding on a new roller coaster blind folded: you have no idea what to expect and where you'll be thrown and sometimes you wonder if this new, untested coaster is going to break your neck or come off the tracks.

Well, in this uneasy water of God's control we read Isaiah 55.8, 9. It explains that God's thoughts are altogether different and better than all of humanity's collective wisdom!

This is amazing! It is not as though we are speaking Japanese and God only speaks French. No, the difference is more like comparing an ants ability to reason with Albert Einstein: God is just better; his thoughts are more and other compared to ours. Our thoughts are glimpses into his whole understanding; sparks compared to his universe of wisdom.

You may say, who cares? If you are a Christian, you should care. If you are not a Christian, you should care. If God is fashioning a plan superior to ours than we can (again) entrust ourselves to his care. Through the disobedient child, the tooth ache, the car that broke again, the lost pet, the broken relationship, the joblessness, the whatever your hard and frustrating life circumstance, through all of these things God is weaving a brilliant story that will ultimately end in making God look good and his followers being loved and cared for.

Remember how the in the Bible we are told that each human's life is so short it is like a breath or a vapor? All of time is a story, your chapter may look like total chaos but the end is coming. Heaven and the new earth are waiting to burst on the scene; God is ready to release the goodness and grandeur of his glory, for they are being held back like a race horse chomping at the bit ready to go do its thing.

Where we cannot see or conceive God gave us faith to believe.

you're a cannibal too

When I heard about some guy in Miami caught on camera literally eating another living person, I wanted to throw up. I thought to myself, ‘Welp, here we go; we are at that level now in the states’ (knowing fully that crazy, stomach turning occasions have been going on for as long as sand has existed). My vomitous reaction was quickly overcome by a sense of brutal, hot anger when I heard that people were cheering this flesh eating druggie because they thought it was cool that there was someone who acted like a zombie. (Please, if you are one of the foolish morons, don’t tell me.) I mean what is WRONG with you!? Do you realize that is a soul-filled human being who was created in the image of God—both of them? And the cannibal—induced by some weird drug—was shot to death like a rabid dog. After my blood vessels receded back to invisibility I trembled at a startling reality: nothing prevents me from being the homeless victim, the frightened policemen, the cheering video watcher, or the human eating deceased, except God’s mercy and grace.


I have amazing parents and family; wonderful friends constantly surround me; our cities—for the most part—are ruled with some order and some sense of justice—especially compared to some countries I’ve lived in. But to understand sin is to understand the evil which can become anyone. Sin is as toxic as Chernobyl.

Most of you won’t try and believe that you could eat someone’s face, that’s okay; it is a super disturbing thought. But know that you are not exempt from the terrors of becoming, of doing horrific acts against God and man. The ONLY thing which prevents you is the mercy and grace of our sovereign God restraining you. Nothing else. Not your little self-help, motivating books or sayings; not your smile; not your good nature (cause you truly don’t have one); not your logic; not your morals; not your focus; not your family; not your friends; not your church; not your devotions; not your prayers; not your teaching; not your learning; not your activities; not your good marriage; not your charity; not your yoga; not your ‘soft-heart;’ not your ‘sweet spirit;’ not your good kids; not discipline; not your discipleship; not your go-get-it attitude. Without God you have no hope at all. So stop pretending you do apart from him. Stop pretending ‘Oh I could NEVER do this or that’ because you could. The only thing restraining you is God’s grace and mercy.

I remember a part of Jesus’ life where he met a crazy guy who had demons inside of him. The man was living in a cave, exiled from his home-town. He was naked with broken chains still clinching his body; he had scars and festering wounds where he would cut himself—relieving his pain by destroying himself. Jesus healed him. Just like that. No one is outside the reach of God’s salvation, beyond the reach of true hope, of love. Not a cannibal, not you. In the disturbing and smile-dropping reality of life there is a hope greater than the gloom. Death and destruction do not have the final say, God does and he his kind and loving; wise and good; sovereign and just.

no problem solver

'my job is not to solve people’s problems or make them happy, but to help them to see the grace that is operating in their lives.' [[Eugene Peterson]]




I have often viewed Jesus as some life-riddle solver: I’ve got all these issues and if I follow Jesus they will disappear like magic. But in many ways I have found the opposite true. Sure, the burden is easy; the load is light; but the road is rough and small.

I like to carry my own pack. I like to put more burdens on myself. I like to say, ‘more is better.’ And I wonder why I don’t seem to experience God, I don’t seem understand him, I don’t seem in tune with what he is doing—because I’ve done my own Spiritless mission for God.

I am not called to save the world—nor are you—and I am not called to fix people’s problems—neither are you—but we are called to point out that God is doing something. We are to be the arm that picks up a fallen companion on our narrow little road of following our Savior. We are to be the one administering the balm to our wounds and woes. We are to be the ones saying, ‘I know it doesn’t feel like it, but God loves you in the most meaningful ways.’ And we are the ones who need to receive all of it too.

Jesus has not solved my problems; he’s exposed how many I have. Every time I try and tidy up one area of my life he breaks down a wall exposing worse things than before! (dang it!) I’ve got more holes in my theology than a piece of Swiss cheese! I start and fail before I finish. I give up. I’ve done this poorly while neglecting that.

But then there is his grace. He keeps giving it because it is my life support. When God is out of kindness I’m out of hope. One has said something along the lines of ‘we do not know we need Jesus until he is all that is left.’ And Corrie Ten Boom is accredited with saying, ‘When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds.’

Let’s stop trying to change one another with silly means, for when we do we are like a child pretending he is accomplishing something real when he is just playing the old game Operation. But let us point out what our Helper, God’s very Spirit, is doing in and around us all.

trust in him at all times

‘Trust in him at all times, O people;


pour out your hearts to him,

for God is our refuge.’ from Psalm 62




From one man to a people, there is a cry to trust God at all times. David was learning that HE could trust in God at all times, and therefore was telling everyone he could to do the same.


I do not think that trust dismisses doubt, but trust embraces what is true.

Since Adam, God’s people have always forsaken God and disobeyed God’s commands and ordinances; David of all people knows this, for he himself was familiar with Israel’s long story and he himself was an active part in it. But he also is very aware who the key ingredient to the nation of Israel was: God.

If we look at the whole of Psalm 62 we see that David owes many things to God alone: soul-rest; salvation; security; protection; sturdiness; safety; hope; honor.

So what does it mean to trust in God here? It means that God will be these things for his people, that he already is these things.

David goes on to tell everyone, ‘Pour out your hearts to God, because God will protect you.’ Sometimes we view God as a mean great-uncle who is ornery all the time and has no time for our imperfection and idiocy. As if God is going to blast us out of the sky as soon as we cuss or something. But David gives a very different (and right!) view of God. He is a hiding place for our soul. We can pour out our heart’s content to Him because, as he says at the end of the Psalm, he is strong and loving.

Israel, as said earlier, is a great picture of what not to do. Yet God, again since Adam and Eve, has been kind and gracious and faithful. And we, today, can hear David’s words to trust God; to pour out our souls to God; and to know that God is our refuge.

Paul's confidence

'You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.'

Paul said these words. Paul is openly and with confidence saying these words. He is saying them without shame. But he is saying them to people who are full of sin and confusion and idiocy! He wrote this in his second letter to the church in Corinth. In the first letter he brought out some pretty bitter sins, sins that if ever came to light about us would drive us to the nearest airport with the intent of never coming back. But Paul says these folks are his letter, these people, sins and foolishness included, are his accomplishment that he is happy about. 

Why is Paul not ashamed to say, 'Hey, these people are a direct result of God's mercy through the ministry God called me to'? We see it a few sentences following: 'Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for our competence comes from God.' 

Somewhere along the line we came to think that when we become followers of Jesus we instantly become resistant to sin. When this impeccable resistance doesn't happen we want to wait until the sin goes away, THEN we can be help others. And then our  dilemma is that we think we need to be fixed of whatever it is we are 'not right' in--our pet, besetting, dark cloud, seemingly inescapable sin or problem--before we can glorify God in ANYthing or be of use to God and others. But this idea is insane and crazy and not found in the Bible anywhere. 

Paul is proud to bring these people on the world's stage with excitement because God saved them and God, in his wisdom, is loving them and using them for his purposes of good. Do I wish to be rid of sin? Absolutely and always; but day-to-day sinlessness on our part as a Christian is no more a qualification to follow God and glorify him and honor him and bring a bigger smile to his face than our works were to make him love us; we don't have to be perfect, Jesus is. (again, we shouldn't be cozy or comfortable with our sin, we are to kill it and hate it and be rid of it)

A lie I consistently believe is that I must be flawless and having every little thing in my life in order before I can help someone or lead someone… this is a lie. No one would ever be able or qualified to do anything, no missionary or pastor or counselor or elder or leader; if that were the case Paul would never have left Arabia or Damascus if that were the case. 

God continues to advance his kingdom by way of using imperfect and unlikely sinners, and it shocks the watching world. Remember that it is God who has the power, and he uses us; he does, not us. He uses, not us. He makes happen, not us. We are to only follow him in obedience directed by his love, his Spirit, his Word.  

God spoke in human words

God spoke in human words. Think about that for a moment…






God created everything that is; he holds the power to make what isn’t yet; he orchestrates the atoms and atom bombs; he knits babies in their mommy’s tummy; he guides the hearts of dictators. Adam and Eve did not obey him and so he kicked them out of the wonderful Garden he had given them. He could have stopped. He never had to create in the first place and then when he did his snot-nosed creatures flicked him off…



But then God spoke. He could have spoken in some Heavenly tongue that was unutterable to humans. He could have babbled in the language of humans but with logic and ideas that would cause our little pea brains to explode like a peep in the microwave! But he didn’t. God spoke kindly and gently and understandable and clearly to us.



He could have told us useless things like why the sky is blue or why gnats exist. He told us that we have sinned and need him; he told us the story about how he loves us and will redeem us; to eventually make us all unscrewed up.



Words can hurt; words kill. But sometimes words make alive and give hope. God spoke and the amazing thing is he didn’t have to.

we: individualism and the loss of us

I just finished reading the books Ezra and Nehemiah. Wonderful and easy reads, I recommend them. Two things stuck out to me: the ‘gracious hand’ of God and ‘we.’



‘Gracious hand’ This is referenced to God in both books. As the book of Nehemiah draws out in a spectacularly sweeping narrative of Israel’s history—good and bad—he highlights that throughout, God has been gracious to his chosen people. The people of Israel and Judah were exiled, taken captive, explicitly because of their disobedience to the God who not only made them but saved them! And God, making good on his promise, is restoring his people and bringing them back to his promised land. So God is being over-the-top gracious with these people who keep turning their backs on him (see even the last few chapters of Nehemiah and how the people still disobeyed right when the wall was finished). But this term is not merely applied to the big, clear, abundant mercy which God had on his chosen ones; rather, the ‘gracious hand’ of God was intervening in the kings palace, with the faithful who peered over the rubbled walls to prevent the enemy from attacking, the many builders of both the Temple and the wall, and even setting God’s enemies against themselves. The hand of God was clearly gracious in big AND minor day-to-day ways. This hasn’t changed with those who are his today.



‘We’ I don’t much like the concept of we and frankly, it ain’t American…. I hope that sounds really stupid to you because it is… but I still believe too much of the statement to be proud of. In Ezra and Nehemiah the leaders, the real, good, actual, for the good of others, leaders knew this reality of ‘we.’ When the leader would confess his sins he would say all the sins everyone committed. ‘Oh he is saying that because he did all the sins in his heart.’ No he isn’t! He is saying that because he is so connected with his people that their sins are his sins—in a sense—; their failure his; their successes, his; their happiness, his. We don’t have this today. It is so foreign to us we would laugh at it if it knocked on our front door. The idea of ‘we’ is how the people of God work. Described as a body and bride, branches, etc… it us the Modern reader who is off, not the NT or OT people. When the people of God see themselves as a ‘we’ instead of a me and them things change; people are cared for; sins are forgiven; God is worshipped; the world drools at our peace and laughter. True love reigns, not some dumb rainbow, unicorn, weird guy with a `fro holding a neon John 3:16 sign at sporting events… no, love is where hurt is because love, from God, is the only thing which heals. It should not be a surprise that many of the minor prophets were prophesying against injustices against those whou had no power to protect themselves: the leaders were seeing opportunities to forward themselves and not help their brothers and sisters; remember also the beginning of Proverbs 31, to speak out for those who have no voice--'we' is in play; 'we' are all filled with eternal souls and 'we' all need our God.


God is a ‘we,’ an ‘our’ and if we are his, so we become.