Let’s make a pact.

We’ll promise to be friends forever.
We’ll promise to always be there.
We’ll promise to tell the hard truth.
We’ll promise to never lie.
We’ll promise to humor each other when necessary.
We’ll promise to hug a lot.
We’ll promise to say nice things.
We’ll promise to never say mean things.
We’ll promise to respect each other.
We’ll promise to laugh.
We’ll promise to learn new things together.
We’ll promise to stay hopeful.
We’ll promise to never hold each other back.

I’ll promise to love you.

View from a Harley

Riding on the back of my dad’s motorcycle I feel like I’m viewing the world through God’s eyes.
For this brief moment I am the Creator soaking in the beautiful sight of the creation.
I am amazed by the variety of land and plants and animals.

We ride in the country, where the roads are straight and the sky is wide.
I wonder if life moves slower out here, if maybe people grow old but don’t feel the pressure to stay young.
I know nothing of this; I am a city girl.

God knows every inch of this land; every tiny, worn down house; every cow grazing in someone’s backyard.
He sees every tree, and I’m sure they make him smile (trees must be his favorite).
You can see the ones that have been here forever, tall and strong against the wind, and then they break to wide plains.

The sun warms my cold skin and gives the land a soft light.
Clouds are few and fleeting today.
Perfection exists here; I’m sure of it.

The Truth Shall Make You Free

The following is an excerpt from Desiring God by John Piper:

Another essential element of joy is freedom. None of us would be happy if we were not free from what we hate and free for what we love. And where do we find true freedom? Psalm 119:45 says, “I shall walk in freedom, for I sought your precepts” (author’s translation). The picture is one of open spaces. The Word frees us from smallness of mind (1Kings 4:29) and from threatening confinements (Psalm 18:19).

Jesus says, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The freedom He has in mind is freedom from the slavery of sin (v. 34). Or, to put it positively, it is freedom for holiness. The promises of God’s grace provide the power that makes the demands of God’s holiness an experience of freedom rather than fear. Peter described the freeing power of God’s promises like this: “Through [His precious and very great promises] you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:4). In other words, when we trust the promises of God, we sever the root of corruption by the power of a superior promise.

Therefore we should pray for each other the way Jesus prays for us in John 17:17: “Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth.” There is no abiding joy without holiness, for the Scripture says, “Strive…for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). How important, then, is the truth that sanctifies! How crucial is the Word that breaks the power of counterfeit pleasures! And how vigilant we should be to light our paths and load our hearts with the Word of God! “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (v. 11; cf. v. 9).

I feel like there is a lot in this short section to chew on, but I really want to take time to savor the first paragraph (I might come back to the rest later). The idea of God’s freedom as wide, open places resonates within me. Maybe this doesn’t sound beautiful or pleasing to you, but just picturing these open spaces brings pure, sweet joy to my heart. In context, Piper’s discussion of this freedom is connected to the importance of God’s Word. When we read it, meditate on it, let it become a part of us, we experience a giddy sense of freedom that can come from nowhere else. God’s Word truly breaks the power of sin in our lives and frees us to live lives of holiness! It is the freedom of wide, open spaces where one can run, play, cartwheel, somersault, and laugh until you collapse to the ground in exhaustion. How totally beautiful!

I would encourage you to look up those verses (Psalm 119:45, 1 Kings 4:29, and Psalm 18:19) and meditate on them. Underline them, write them on post-its and place them in prominent places in your house or at work. Do whatever it takes to let the truth of the freeing power of God’s Word capture your heart!

Reflections on Matthew 4-5, Day 5

I keep trying to think of something profound with which to enlighten the masses, but I got nothin’. I think my problem is that this week’s reading is kicking my butt.

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” –Matthew 5:17-20

What hope is there for me? I’m a freaking Bible major, and I feel so… spiritually pathetic. I am in desperate need of humilty, and those verses kill me. My pride is shattered; it stands no chance in the face of those words.

Son of a Preacher Man

I just spent the past two hours reading Jay Bakker’s autobiography. I am honestly ready to preach from the rooftops! I can’t really say much more right now because I don’t know how to put it into words, and I need to spend time in prayer before even attempting to do so. Still, let me recommend that you read Jay’s book ASAP.

Reflections on Matthew 1-3, Day 5

No apologies are ever made for Jesus. Have you noticed that? Even before he officially entered his ministry, John paints a very harsh and vivid picture of him reaping a harvest of human souls, not all of whom will meet a happy “end”. I love that the usual instinct people have to gloss over hard sayings is completely ignored in the gospel accounts. Particularly in Matthew, there is no sugar-coating of “the God Man” and what he was about.

The church as a whole has gradually filed away the rough edges of Jesus until all we have left is a safe, flannel-graph saviour. What happened? The Jesus I’m being introduced to in these first three chapters appears to be anything but safe! And he didn’t come just to save us–he came to call us to a new way of living. He practiced that new life himself so that we would have an example to follow. But in all the religiousity, we’ve lost this radical man and his call to us to be radical people.

John knew what was going on from the very beginning. His ministry of baptism was not just to save people either–he also was calling people to new life. He even told the religious “somebodies” not to just join in the new fad. He wanted them to be serious about the baptism into a new life. He told them to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance”.

This phrase has stuck with me throughout this week. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Think about it. Say it out loud. Really. This is important. About as important as it gets. I mean, that’s what Jesus was all about, right? If we truly repented/were baptized/turned to him, then our lives would be different. We would have something totally different (and better) to show for it.

Stop making this Jesus story warm and fuzzy. It’s not. It’s a harsh reality that our lives are not going to be the same. And if they are, then we haven’t really listened to him. That’s dangerous. Really dangerous. Open your ears. Listen. There will be no apologies. Jesus is not that kind of guy. He demands righteousness. Anything less is sin. Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

And, trust me, there is joy in righteousness. The kind of joy that could never be described in this silly, little blog.
   Pursue him.
   Pursue righteous.
   And joy will pursue you.

Reflections of Matthew 1-3, Day 1

So, I’ll be honest–I wasn’t really expecting much in this first week. I mean, I’ve read this stuff a million times, and it’s not like chapters 1-3 are even relatively new material for me. It’s a well-read intro to the “Jesus story”. Funny how God likes to shake me up a bit here and there…

I guess what stood out to me was the drama involved in the pre-story. And by drama, I don’t mean silly, teenage-girl drama. I mean real, intense action.

Example 1: The genealogy. Doesn’t sound exciting? Think about the beginning of the Star Wars Trilogy. Remember the scrolling script? Didn’t it leave you anxious and eager to see what happens? It built up the suspense and immediately hooked you. It hinted at greatness to come. This is exactly what the genealogy in Matthew does; it allows us to see the great (and not-so-great men/women that preceeded Jesus). It reveals a rich history that the “audience” (Jews) knew all about. Who was the man that came from such a famous/infamous family? (Side Note: For those of you who aren’t literary geeks like myself, there is a difference between famous and infamous.)

Example 2: (Minor, but still intriguing, information.) Joseph doesn’t “consummate” the marriage until after Jesus is born. I believe that would qualify as miraculous restraint.

Example 3: The young Jesus (probably a toddler?) is sought out, worshipped, and given kingly gifts. The magi, “a caste of wise men specializing in astronomy, astrology, and natural science”, seem very aware of Jesus’ greatness. Maybe it’s just me, but I kind of doubt Jesus was doing anything too terribly miraculous yet. I mean, learning to walk and talk is great, but it’s nothing to be worshipped for. I’m not exactly sure how the magi knew that he was worthy of their worship, but they did. That, to me, is amazing. (Side question: Were these wise men mystical, believing in any hokey prophecy that they heard? I don’t mean to take away from the worship they gave to Jesus, but you have to wonder if they were… well, reliable.)

Example 4: Herod kills all the male infants in and around Bethlehem. Wow. I mean, if I were God incarnate, that’s how I’d want people to remember my birth: innocent babies being wiped out because the king was trying to kill me. I know this certainly reveals what a threat Jesus was to “the establishment”, but what a dark beginning! Already, people are dying because of the “hugeness” of his coming.

Example 5: John tells the people that the one who comes after him (Jesus) will separate the wheat (=righteous people) from the chaf (=unrighteous people), and the chaf will be thrown into an “unquenchable fire”. Well, isn’t that a warm and fuzzy message! How would you like to be introduced that way? “Well, he’s an awesome guy–totally holy, powerful, and from the Lord, but watch out! If you’re not ‘good’ he’ll send you to hell!”

Example 6: When Jesus first turns up, he allows John (the one who “is not fit to tie his sandals”) to baptize him. Guess what happens! The Holy Spirit immediatly shows up, and God audibly affirms Jesus in the presence of John. How cool is that?! His first public appearance, and he gets the “God stamp of approval”.

Now, try and tell me this isn’t a dramatic intro!