World Vision Wednesday

The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Stearns has been named 2010 Christian Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. There is now a six week study titled The Hole In Our Gospel: Six Week Quest, that can be purchased for small group or churchwide study.

TGIF

Summer is in its final weeks here in the sunny South. The teachers are back in school here, and the students come back next week. The temperature is even starting to cool down a bit and the football teams are ready to begin the season.

On to the links:

Transitions.
The perils of Hipster Christianity.
Random acts of kindness.
What about "being holy?"

Labels.
Do you want to be the best?
Dog in a box.
The pattern of worship.
Jason Boyette on Harold Camping.

Scot McKnight has a series on the future of evangelicalism. Part 1.
This is grace.
Wow. Just wow (HT: Scot McKnight).
When Christians get it wrong.

Thank you for reading my blog. Have a restful weekend.

A Fresh Set of Footprints

A few years ago Melvin Bray wrote this piece that was published in theooze.com. It's titled "Footprints...A Brand New Dance." Enjoy.

One night I had a dream. It was a strange dream because although I was in it, I could at the same time see myself and Jesus walking down an uncertain road leading just over the horizon. As I stood astonished, looking at myself, I noticed that I looked winded as I walked along, barely catching my breath. Curious as to why, I took my eyes off the walkers and peered back down the way from whence they had come.

The sight that met my eyes is quite difficult to describe. From where I stood the ground dropped back steep down a jagged path. The drop was so great and sheer that it made my stomach queasy just looking. I staggered, stumbled and would have fallen if my guide had not reached out to steady me.

I gained my composure and looked closer at the path Jesus and I had taken. The ground was loose like gravel, and I wondered how one could have kept his footing. Not to mention there were mud puddles and brier patches along the way and low hanging limbs that feign reached out to offer a hand but looked as if they would snap under the slightest weight. The ground was so moist I could see the footprints we had left along our journey. For most of the way Jesus’ footprints went along steady, sure, consistent (I could tell they were His by their size). Mine, on the other hand, zigzagged, stopped, back-peddled and even turned around on occasion.

As we went along my ability to follow His lead appeared to improve, which was a good thing because it was just about then that the path narrowed and the road steepened. To add to the perils of our path the rocks perched high above seemed to rain down sporadically. For a while I could barely discern my footsteps because they overlay His. Where He stepped, I stepped in sync on up the mountain, until it seemed the road grew most treacherous at which point it appeared that my steps were all over the place. There were starts and stops and circles and deep gashes every which way in the soft earth. I wondered, "What could I have been doing?"

It was then that I turned to my guide to satisfy my wonder. “What on earth happened?” I asked. “We were getting along pretty well—I was growing in Him, as well I should—then it looks like I lost my mind. And it looks as if I would have killed us both if He hadn’t regained control.”

My Guide looked at me and said, “Don’t be deceived by what your eyes think they see or what your head thinks it knows about the way our journey should unfold. As long as I am with you, I am always in control. Speak to your heart; it knows the truth. Did ever you desire anything other than to walk with me? Then don’t think it strange that sometimes the Way leads off the usual path. What happened, you ask, when our steps seem uncertain? It was there we DANCED!”

World Vision Wednesday

Many of the minerals used in electronics and cell phones come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and surrounding countries. Unfortunately a large portion of the money paid for these minerals goes to fund violence between competing factions in the DRC.

Congress, at the urging of World Vision and other organizations, has taken an important step toward making electronic products "conflict free." Go here to find out more.

Lessons From Easy Rider

The other night we watched Easy Rider. Even though the film has been out for 41 years, it was the first time any of us had seen it. As we watched, Jan and I were both struck by the idea of freedom, although in slightly different ways.

Jan saw the characters as people looking for freedom. Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) traveled across America free to do whatever they wished. The folks at the commune wanted to be free to live off the land as they saw fit. George (Jack Nicholson) saw traveling with Wyatt and Billy as a chance for freedom. What Jan said is that while they were looking for freedom, or thought that they were free, all of them were bound by something. I think that's true. All of the characters were bound, by drugs, prostitution, prejudice, the weather, or the actions of others. That's true in real life as well. People are bound by any number of things. As Jan said, everyone who is outside of Christ is bound by sin. Only in Jesus do we have freedom.

That brings me to my thoughts as we watched the film. There was a section where George talks about freedom:

"They're scared of what you represent to them....

What you represent to them is freedom....

But talking about and being it, that's two different things.

Don't tell anybody that they're not free, because they'll get busy killing and maiming to prove to you that they are. They're going to talk to you and talk to you about individual freedom. But, they see a free individual, it's going to scare them. Well, it don't make them running scared. It makes them dangerous."

There are a lot of churches that loudly proclaim grace and freedom. "By grace are you saved" is a common theme. Some put grace in their name. They will tell you that they are all about grace and freedom. If you take a closer look, however, you will notice that the folks in those churches are like the characters in Easy Rider. They are bound. Bound by the expectations of others, by their pursuit of the American Dream. Bound by rules handed down from the pastor or group of leaders. Bound by a system of theology or a tradition of worship. Bound by guilt or prejudice. Just don't tell them that they are not free or let them see an individual who is living free in God's grace. That's when they become dangerous.

People who try to truly live in freedom are looked upon as "backsliders." They are "lawless" and "they need to get right with God." They are removed from leadership roles, or expelled from institutions. People who live in freedom are ostracized. Some are even branded as "heretics," and are denounced in writing or on blogs. Christians are scared of grace and of the freedom that we have because of grace. It's nothing new. Paul was accused of promoting lawlessness because he preached grace.

I think we are scared of freedom because freedom is a dangerous thing. It causes us to rely completely on the Holy Spirit to guide us, rather than a law handed down from an authority figure. If we live in freedom we have to think, and we have to be willing to make mistakes and then own up to those mistakes. We even have to be willing to sin. Yes, I said that we even have to be willing to sin. Face it, we are going to sin. Instead of trying to hide it and pretend we don't, we should own up to it. We shouldn't live our lives constantly looking around for some sin to jump out from the shadows and attack us. We shouldn't go through our day worrying about avoiding sin. We should flee temptation when it presents itself, but we shouldn't be anxious about it.

We are called to live in freedom. Christ has fulfilled the law, and it is for freedom that he has set us free. Learn from Jesus. Let his Spirit fill you and teach you. As you grow more and more in the grace of God through Jesus, and let Christ live through you, the more you'll be able to live in grace, and the more you will be truly free.

You might be scary to some. But, that's a good thing.

TGIF

This has been a good week. We went up to Morgantown, WV to spend a few days with Jan's sister and her husband. Wednesday and today, I mowed the yard. I hadn't mowed since July 2 and it has only been in the last week and a half that the grass has grown. Yesterday, I volunteered at the World Vision table at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. It was interesting, and I realized how far I have come from the attractional church model with the pastor as CEO. I still came away with a few good thoughts.

And now, here are the links:

Human trafficking does not just happen overseas.
The spark.
Speaking the language.
Is evangelism a dirty word?
Needing Jesus... and his followers.
The Merry Monk is editing his life.

What's in a name?
The terror of faith.
Jake Belder says we don't know how to feel any more.
Jason Boyette rants.
Dan Allen on unity.
Scot McKnight continues to imagine. Part 6.

Love believes all things.
Thinking outside the treasure box.
Get chopping.
Christ followers underground.
There is more than one way to forsake meeting together.
A history of Christian Hipster music (HT: Scot McKnight).

Enjoy your weekend.

World Vision Wednesday

Niger is on of the poorest nations in the world. If that isn't bad enough, the country is facing its worst food crisis in years, due to severe drought conditions. World Vision is working to feed a number of severely malnourished children. Go here to learn more.