Brilliance, pt 1

If I knew what it would cost before I did it, would I do it? Would I invest the time, effort, energy in the beginning? Is it pure insanity to jump in head first, feet first, body first, before the spirit jumps in? I'm trying to make sense of something that cannot make sense no matter how it is looked at, leaped at or listened to. I'll never know. Probably, I ought to quit while I am only behind and stop trying to get ahead before I am utterly lost.

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I wondered aloud to my son today: I hope someday when we all get to heaven that after we have marveled at the wonders of God for a time that we get to see some baseball. I immediately regretted saying it. The reason? Do I really think that I will ever stop marveling at the wonders of God? I think eternity will scarcely be enough time to complete such an assignment as marveling at the wonders of God. "Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (Romans 11:33-36). I Don't think I'll have time to think about baseball then. I wonder what makes me think I have time for it now? Shouldn't I start marveling at the wonders of God now?

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I wonder sometimes if it is terribly wrong to desire any sort of happiness here on this planet. Seriously. Is it wrong to enjoy a rest after a hard day's work? Should I look for opportunities to suffer for the Name of Jesus lest I forget my brothers who are suffering elsewhere in the world? Should I abandon all creature comforts in order to better identify with my sisters who are living in something worse than squalor? How shall I live in Christ in America? Should I abandon my dignity or should I raise the dignity of those who have already been humiliated? What shall I throw their way? A Prayer? A Dollar? A Rock? A Kiss? Who are they? Perhaps they are looking at the stone on which they write and wonder, "What shall I throw his way? Shall I abandon my humble place and join him in wealth or lower him? How shall I remember my poor brothers in America who suffer from so much affluence and abundance? What shall I throw him? My Loin Cloth? My Soleless Shoes? My Straw Mat? A Kiss? A Prayer for his miserable condition?"

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I heard this song the other night. I think it was called 'Creep', by a group called Radiohead. I've never listened to Radiohead. I still haven't. I heard someone else sing it. But I like it. Call me a creep. Loser like me. Call me anything but what I am. I cannot live up to the billing. I'm likely to fail and let you down. I'm in a world I don't understand. What I cannot figure out is why God would do it. I talk a mighty big talk, but what do I know of real suffering? What does this mean, "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17b-19) He does not pray that we will have power or knowledge: How can you know something that surpasses knowledge? He prays that we will know a love that surpasses knowledge, and the power not to be powerful but to know love. I'm supposed to know this sort of love when all the time I am all too aware of who I am? I'm always in the way! That's why we need the power: To get beyond ourselves and to Christ. Maybe I'm not a creep after all, just a little weak; a little too thick.

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I watched Rambo: First Blood tonight. Rambo was a Vietnam vet who got shafted--seriously. Halfway through the film some gung-ho weekend warrior National Guardsmen launched a rocket at him. The rocket hit the front of the mine he was in and sealed it prohibiting him from escaping. They thought he was dead and they went about their business. But inside this grave, this underground mine shaft, he was alive. They went back to their lives--celebrating, enjoying 'their' town, back to work. He, Rambo, crawled, crouched, and climbed through seemingly miles and miles of underground passages until, at last, he found an exit. He climbed up the ladders until he, bloody and bruised, arrived at the top. Rambo died. Rambo Resurrected. And the funny thing about it is this: When he resurrected he was angrier than before he died. Strange that. Either way, he did come back to life. The grave he was in could not contain him. He found a way out of the earth.

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It is cool this evening. I like that. I hear frogs. I hear crickets. I hear an occasional car drive by. Crickets certainly are wonderful to listen to. I will miss them when winter comes. Maybe a few will move into my house and live here until summer comes. I don't want to miss a single note of their song. Some things are far too important to miss. Even crickets. I want to enjoy them now because the way this world works, I may not get to hear them tomorrow. I'm awake at 2 AM because I want to be found watching, waiting, listening for the note that will drown out and replace the crickets and announce that new, better music has arrived. Even the crickets will stop to listen. Or they may join in the band. Crickets!? Imagine that: They stay awake all night, all day just singing, waiting and watching.

The Church Building, pt. 2: Suffer the Chairs

http://www.persecution.org/Countries/afghanistan.html

http://magicstatistics.com/2006/03/22/more-afghan-christians-suffering-persecution/

I’ve been on a roll. I confess. I’m expecting visits any moment from clergy wearing dark sunglasses, leather gloves, and tiny curly-wired ear pieces they keep touching as if they are receiving information from some one I cannot see. It’s not likely to happen, but it might.

I’ve listed a couple of web-links here. I hope they work when you click them. They discuss, in part, the trials and travails of the church as it exists in Afghanistan. I don’t suspect these are complete views and, to be sure, some of the information at persecution.org appears a bit dated. Still, they are a place to start. Do your own search and see what comes up. Go to google.com. Type in these words: Afghanistan, Christian, suffering. See what turns up. Fact is, the church in the greater part of the world is not living life nearly as close to heaven as we in the United States are. Although, if I may, I would suggest that most of the church in the world is closer to the Throne that is in heaven (Revelation 4 & 5).

http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/03/21/afghan-christian060321.html

This might be old news, this story of Abdul Rahman. He was sentenced to die because he became a Christian. But his story, just this year, highlights the way Christians live in places where Christ is hated. Rahman, as if this writing, did not die. The stories of Christians being persecuted in other places are numerous—too numerous for me to document here. I have heard it said, seen it written, more than once that the 1900’s were one of the bloodiest centuries ever when it comes to Christians being persecuted. More Christian deaths in the 1900’s than in the previous 1800 combined! I’m blogging.

I received a magazine in the mail today. I did not order it or subscribe to it and, frankly, I have no idea to this day why I receive it in the mail. I usually flip through the pages and look at the pictures and scan for something interesting, but in all the time I have been receiving this magazine I have read maybe 1 article. It’s called Your Church and declares on the cover that it is ‘Helping you with the business of ministry.’ Inside are all sorts of helpful hints about sound equipment, musical instruments, lighting, stages, buildings, construction, and more. The back page advertisement declares: “Ready for a quality sign? How one church grew from 200 to 800 in just 16 months.” There is an interview with the pastor of the church. Here is what he says, “And how has the ****** sign done so far?” His answer, “To date, we’re up over 300 percent. The ****** sign by far is the number one reason. I’m really happy.” Isn’t that special?

I’m sure the sign had a lot to do with the church growing. It doesn’t matter that Scripture says the Lord adds to His church daily those being saved, or that Jesus would build his church, or that faith comes by hearing the Word or any of that sort of nonsense. It's the sign. Don't you get it? We will never attract the right people, let alone the right sort of people until we get the right sort of sign; a sign that speaks their language; a sign that announces exactly who we are and what we are about. Heaven forbid people see these things in the people who bought the sign. As long as the sign says it, I don't have to.

Here’s the reason I bring up Your Church: The front cover. There is a picture of a chair skeleton. There is a nicely dressed man, staring at this chair skeleton as it hovers in front of him like the Spirit hovering over the waters of creation, or Jesus as His baptism. His hand is placed carefully on his chin like Rodan’s Thinker. The cover announces, “Anatomy of a Chair: Our Guide for Diagnosing Quality. Plus: Chair Choices.” As I was saying, Abdul Rahman is living, I think in Italy, after the Italian government offered him asylum.

You know, I really wish that signs and chairs were all it took to grow a heaping helping of committed Christian disciples of Jesus Christ. I really wish the right architecture could develop the sort of people who would take up their cross, deny themselves and follow Him. I really wish the sound system mattered in the Kingdom of God. And these things do matter, we are told, because we should want to do our best for God, be excellent in all we do, and do something here that speaks of His Majesty there; give people a little taste of heaven right here on earth. I’m serious. All the good books say it. All the key speakers preach it. All the statisticians prove it. And all the popular musicians endorse it. It must be true because no church has ever grown without these things.

And to what end? So more people can join the church, so that we can have more money, so that we need to build bigger campuses to accommodate the crowds? We need our own bookstores, restaurants, and barber shops. I’d rather go to Barnes & Nobles and hang out in a bookstore where I might see a book I shouldn’t read but where I might also meet a person I would never have met if I had bought the same book from the bookstore in my church building.

Rant. Rant. Rant. What I don’t understand is why these things matter. I’m trying to figure out if these things (Billion dollar buildings, perfect chairs, and amazing sound systems) are God’s blessing or man’s hubris. I honestly do not know. I do know this: While Abdul Rahman was on trial for his life, because He loves Jesus, I did not hear of one church in America offering to bring him here and offer him asylum. “Remember your brothers and sisters who are in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” And I don’t understand all these billion dollar architecture projects being undertaken while nations of people literally starve to death. You realize that some congregations spend more money on the building of a building, its maintenance, and its additions than some nations spend on their people in a year? I’m leaning more towards hubris…

I’d like to think that everyone reading this would agree with me, but I’m just as much a part of the problem. I didn’t offer Rahman asylum. I did not send him a basket of fruit or box of cookies. And although I prayed, I did not conduct a meaningful prayer service on his behalf. For that matter, I too often forget about those who suffer for Christ because I’m too worried about whether or not I visited enough sick people or if I picked the right songs for Sunday’s worship or if I managed to get a guest speaker so I could go on vacation. I think I have a long way to go before I am considered an equal with someone like Rahman. I think this church in America has a long way to go before we can say with Jesus: Suffer the Little Children to Come unto me. For now, we can just suffer the chairs.

The magazine gives us one more clue as to the problem we are facing in the American Church. The magazine's title: Your Church. The problem is, of course, that this is not our church. In some sense we have stolen the church, ruined its reputation, squandered its wealth on frivolous living, and we have misused the Name of God in our justification of opulence and grandeur. Jesus said: "I will build MY church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." I truly wonder if the gates of hell would prevail against my church. I know Jesus' church will do fine. I wonder about mine.

Remember the Suffering.

Thinking Out Loud About Jesus in Hebrews

There is something about the first four verses of the letter we call Hebrews that boggles the mind. I'd like to have the ability to say that much, about one 'topic', in as few sentences, as the writer of Hebrews did in the first four verses. However, it is more than likely that I, being as American as I am, and being far more interested in saying something clever, and enjoying stringing words together in long chains, that I will use more words than necessary to say far less than I had hoped, and, thus, leave the reader more confused at the end of the paragraph than they were before they started reading the thoughts I put down on paper, computer screen, or in the sky, where, the best one could hope for is an eraser, delete key or wind. That should help.

"In the past Go spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs" (Hebrews 1:1-4, NIV).

Take a breath now. Breathe deeply, slowly. Let these words sink in deep as you consider the granduer, the awesomeness, the overwhelming stature of Jesus, the Messiah.

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I just received a free issue of CCM--Contemporary Christian Music. "Enjoy your FREE issue!" they say. So I will. The thing that bugs me is the blurb on the fake cover: "Worship is the most popular genre of Christian Music." (Emphasis is theirs.) I have a problem with this notion that worship has become merely a 'genre' of music--as if there is anything else to do with music, as if one particular style can be called 'worship,' as if worship is merely a Christian thing. I'm ranting, perhaps. I just don't think worship should be downgraded to a mere genre. After all, worship is directed to God. Who is to say that music is the only way to worship? Who says worship will go away if the CCM genre went away. Sounds to me like another way of riding a green wave. To think that we should grow rich because of worship is, to me, scary.

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Have you listened to the David Crowder Band? There are not enough words to describe how unbelievably good this band is. Their music is quality, deep, and delights the imagination, stirs the heart for God, and draws the listener into a participatory worship. In other words, one cannot help but sing along. I suspect that is what DCB would like to know. I only just received 'A Collision or 3+4=7' on my birthday. I have already listened to it, in its entirety, like 100 times. It is that good. I praise God for DCB! I first heard this band at Ohio Teens for Christ about 5 years ago. I only wish then I had known what I know now about this band and their music. Go buy their CD today.

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Thanks for reading. I might have more to say later. I am sort of overwhelmed right now. My church has put together a team of missionaries to take a trip to Austria in 2008 to work at a mission house. Please pray for us.

DG

The Church Building, pt 1: Christian Mecca

Where does God live? Is the place where I worship the 'house of God'? That's what I grew up believing. I think perhaps people said such absurd things because they wanted us children not to run around the building. They wanted us to be respectful of the property. So instead of saying to us, "Hey, that door cost us $1500 don't swing on it." They said, "Hey this is the House of God. Show some respect." Either way, I suppose, we did not swing on the door. I'm reminded that God does not live in houses built by human hands. I'm also reminded that the body of the Christian is the Temple of God--something that seems to be lost in our church-speak nowadays unless we are trying to guilt people into not drinking, smoking or abusing themselves with all sorts of sexual laxity.

I have a lot of things to say about church buildings. I think they get too much credit for being the Christian version of Mecca. And, to be sure, there are a about 10,000 Meccas in the world of churchianity. Every other day, there is a new Prophet building a new Mecca hoping to attract a throng of pilgrims. I dislike buildings as much as I recognize they are, probably, a necessary evil. I sincerely believe that the modern craze of building giant buildings is as bad as the ancient craze of building giant cathedrals. It is all a waste of money, labor, and vision. Is our vision for the Kingdom of God merely concerned with how much property we own, how big our buildings are, and how many removable, stackable chairs fill the auditorium? I'm reminded of a comment I read the other day that the Church's effectiveness is not measured in its seating capacity, but in its sending capacity. I will tear down these barns and build bigger ones to accommodate all the grain this bumper crop has produced.

I'm not interested in a bigger building. I'm not interested in folding, stackable, and/or removable chairs (chairs that normally cost around $75-$150 each!). We don't need a building with bigger seating capacity and better parking. Rather, we need a building with bigger doors. Because when church is done correctly, that is, when the Body of Christ functions well, people will be as anxious to get out as they are to get in. People will not be content to merely 'come to church' or 'go to church.' Instead, they will be anxious to go and be the church in places where the church is not. Thus, their 'House of God' will be the world. Their altar will be a darkened place where light is needed. Their pew will be a park bench where some lonely person is sitting. Their pulpit will be a dugout at a little league baseball field. Their communion cup and bread will be the meal they share with a hungry person. Their offering will be their very life they give as a living sacrifice.

I'm sure others have said this before and that I am not the last who will say it either. I don't need to be original. I do want to impress upon anyone who happens to glance at this, however, that if the Church is going to win the lost then the church must be in those places where the lost are. In other words, it seems to me far more biblical to go instead of to wait; far more biblical to serve and not be served; far more biblical to give it away than to keep it for the self; far more biblical to live on the edge of disaster than in palaces of opulence. You know, if we have all that we need here then what is left to look forward to? "By faith Abraham made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:9-10).

"Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them" (Hebrews 11:16). Me too. I don't want a building. I want an entire country; an entire city, something made not out of stuff that will perish.

DG