TGIF

It's Friday already! This week has just zipped by. I spent today touring a university with a group of eighth graders. I always enjoy being on college campuses, and this was a nearby school that I had not previously visited. Tomorrow is the running of the Kentucky Derby. I usually don't watch horse racing, but the three races of the Triple Crown capture my attention every year. I wonder if this year will bring a Triple Crown winner. Maybe.

Here is the good stuff:

Are we missing something?
Something in my size?
Dallas Willard on atonement. (HT: Brian McLaren)
Asking the radical questions.
Church on the Boardwalk.
When you don't like what the government does.

Good words from John Bunyan.
Church in a coffee shop. Good discussion in the comments.
Are we this honest?
Good words from Mark.
Do you own your successes?
Good question. How would you answer?

Scot McKnight continues his series on changing culture. Part 9.
Options and doubt.
Awful Christian T-shirts.
Is N.T. Wright dangerous?
Just hearing, or doing?
Convinced in our own minds.

Thanks for reading my blog. Have a great weekend.

World Vision Wednesday

In Nepal, World Vision has been working with the people there to develop organic farms. These farms are a way for families to provide food for themselves, and surplus to sell for income. You can read about one of these farms here.

TGIF

The trees here in the sunny South have all leafed out, so now the pollen comes from grasses and flowers. It doesn't leave a green-yellow dust on everything, but it still makes us sneeze. Soon it will get hot, and the schools will let out for the summer. There will be great rejoicing from the students...and teachers.

Here is the good stuff:

A call for grace.

Toward a meaningful and generous faith.

Telling or selling?

It's OK. Good words.

An iMonk classic on the Kingdom of God.

The mission of the church and the Resurrection.

Scot McKnight continues his series on changing culture. Part 4.

Hyper-spirituality.

What the message of the Gospel is not.

For those who like to argue on the internet.

Teaching or just giving information?

Remembering our humanity.

Ten percent.

There's just something about cowboy boots.

The market as God.

Good thoughts from Jeff McQ.

An Earth Day post.

How we hide.

The bishop on the game board.

Missional pizza.

The original third way.

Excellent post from Stuff Christians Like.

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

Pursuing the Virtuous Life

One of the things I learned during my days as a teacher in fundamentalist Christian education was the fact that many of America's founding fathers had lists of virtues or rules of behavior that were good things for the students to know and emulate. Ben Franklin had a list of thirteen, while George Washington had one hundred ten rules to follow. All in all the rules and lists are not bad things for people to check out and learn from. We obviously could use more civility and manners in today's society.

The problem comes when we try to make ourselves virtuous by following a list of rules. Ben Franklin realized that while he had become a better person in many ways, he had not reached the state of moral perfection that he hoped to attain. Many churches preach, and many people believe, that following the dictates of their church or a set of rules from a particular group will help you be "right with God." Many other churches who don't have a long list of "standards" still preach steps to be closer to God, or any number of things you can do to be a better Christian. This kind of thinking, while it may make life a bit better, is nothing more than man's attempt to do what only God can do.

What is forgotten in all the lists to follow is grace. Grace is the word that Christians use when they are talking about salvation. They are correct; we are saved by grace, not by anything we do. What is so often neglected is that we also live and grow by grace. As God's children, there is nothing we can do to make him love us less. We can not tear ourselves away from God's grace and love. It is also true that there is nothing we can do that will make God love us any more. We cannot add to the Father's grace and love toward us. I love my son and daughter unconditionally. They cannot do anything that is going to make me stop loving them, and they do not have to do anything to earn my love. So it is with God. He loves us, period.

As we learn to accept and rest in that love it grows in us and our love for God and for others grows. The way we grow in the Father's love is by spending time with him, seeing each day as an opportunity to be guided and shaped by the Spirit. We learn about the Father by looking at the Son, by immersing ourselves in the Gospels and seeing Jesus as he really is. The first disciples spent three years with the Master, eating and drinking with him , traveling with him, hearing his teachings and seeing how he lived those teachings out. After that, they were given the Holy Spirit and went out and turned the world upside down. We have the account of Jesus' life and teachings, and we have the same Holy Spirit to guide us and empower us to become like Jesus.

Our lives do not hang on man-made rules or anything else that comes from our own efforts. We can become better people, but the Father's goal is for us to become like Christ. That can only come from the grace of God working in our lives through the Spirit. It happens because God loves us. Rest in that love. Don't try to be a virtuous person. Instead, learn from Jesus and let the Spirit teach you. Trust in the fact that the Father is shaping you into the image of Jesus. As the old hymn says, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace."

World Vision Wednesday

The Action Summit to End Malaria is being held in Washington, D.C. today and tomorrow. Here you can read an account of what this devastating disease does.

Worship, or Something Else?

Christianity Today has an article about research that has been done that shows that taking certain hallucinogenic drugs can provide an experience that is similar or identical to religious experiences. Aside from jokes about staying home and just popping a pill to get a church experience, there are a couple of important implications of these findings.

Many churches work hard to provide a "worship experience" for their members and any visitors that may be attracted. The leaders strive to create an atmosphere that draws people into a sacred encounter with God. Things such as music, lighting, candles, incense, and structures can all be used to evoke a sense of awe and sacredness. My son, Josh is an architecture student and firmly believes that church buildings should be designed with that end in mind.

Some people go from conference to conference, from worship concert to worship concert. They continually look for a bigger, more meaningful experience. I can understand the feeling. I remember a few years ago I was at a conference where the music and singing was great, and I felt very let down during the service the next day at the church we were at. I think some of the excesses seen in some of the charismatic meetings led by Bentley and others is fueled by this desire for a bigger and better worship experience.

I have no problem with churches doing the best they can to create an atmosphere that helps people worship God. I enjoy a good band and good time singing. I'm one who likes low lighting, candles, incense, etc. I value times of silence, and times of call and response. I believe communities of faith should gather together for times of corporate worship.

What we need to be careful of is the danger of letting the "worship experience" become the the main thing. Whether it's in a Sunday morning church service, or a Saturday night concert put on by a renowned worship leader, some folks make it the center of their faith. It becomes all about the experience. Somehow the rest of life seems to just not be as important.

If our faith is nothing but times of "experiencing God" in between the normal events of life, then we really have nothing to offer those who do not know Jesus. There are many other religions that offer mystical, ecstatic experiences, including those that ingest mushrooms or other substances. If all we have is a way to have another experience, then we are really no different than anyone else. I know, we are experiencing the true God, while others aren't. Telling someone that we gather to worship the only true God isn't likely to convince them that what they worship isn't God.

When we place too much emphasis on the event, we do folks a disservice. When we neglect to teach them what it means to follow Jesus in the day-to-day, and give opportunities to live that out by interacting with each other through the week, we fall short. When we limit "discipleship" to a Sunday school class, or a small group, we fail.

Jesus didn't establish the Church as a place we go to, or as an event we attend. The Church is something we are 24-7. Discipleship is something that happens as we interact with our brothers and sisters in the trenches of daily life. Worship is what happens when we undertake every activity with the objective of loving and glorifying God. We show we follow the King of Kings by our love for each other and for those around us.

If the Holy Spirit leads us into a mystical experience with God, we can rejoice. That is not the thing we should be chasing after, and that is not going to be the case with most of us.

TGIF

It's time once again for your favorite Friday post: TGIF! Well, at least it's my favorite of the post that I write on Fridays. :)

If there is such an entity as Mother Nature, she's really being a b**** lately. There's been another large earthquake, this time in China. The death toll is currently over 600 and is sure to climb in days to come. That makes at least the fifth large earthquake in the past three months. I don't know if this is far beyond normal or not. I am sure that some parts of the Church are positive that the end is very soon, maybe even before May, 2011. Regardless, please pray for those affected by all of the recent quakes.

Here are the links:


Jennie put a couple of videos together for the company she works for, here and here. It's amazing what cameras can do these days. (Yes, I am a proud father)
The apolitical old evangelical.
Holy ignorance.
Church buildings.

Alan Knox has a thought provoking post on unity.
Some of you might be able to use this post. I don't think it's something I have to deal with. :)
The Church beyond the Cross.
Donald Miller wants to tell you a story.
A house.

Everybody's broken.
An interesting way to use an old organ.
Our dangerous God.
Scot McKnight starts a series on changing culture.
A good question. (HT: Scot McKnight)

I hope you have a blessed weekend.

Thank you for reading my blog.