You KNOW it's a Myth

Rarely do I get stirred up by headlines that clearly aim to pit right wing, Christians against their liberal "worldly" counterparts. It doesn't take a trained eye to realize that the media business booms when they can find the most radical representative from each stance, promote their position as the "norm" of the represented group and the interwebs go abuzz with "have you heards?" and "have you seens?" However, I can't seem to stop thinking about the billboard created by the American Atheists that states "You KNOW it's a Myth... This Season Celebrate REASON" juxtaposed next to imagery of the birth of Christ. I don't think it's the blasphemy that bugs me on this one. It just seems counterintuitive to me that someone that believes in no deities would have an agenda..or at least one so strong that they forcefully pushed it on the masses driving by the billboard. If I didn't believe in a god or gods, I sure wouldn't waste my time with Christians. I would find every opportunity to advance myself and my family. I'm picturing convertibles, hammocks, second homes and indulgent vacations. Heck, when someone asked me the date, I'd reply "I have no idea. I don't believe in Christ, therefore I don't believe in B.C. or A.D, therefore I don't even know it's December, therefore I don't even acknowledge or realize "Christmas."" This billboard just seems weak. To me it reeks of someone still suffering from a history of being forced to attend Sunday School as a child..or perhaps smacked on the knuckles with a ruler by a nun. In which case, I'd welcome a billboard pointing out the pathetic examples Christians are of Christ. We absolutely are. But to flippantly call Christ a myth, to write off the story of my savior, is an act that is much harder for me to ignore. I'm overwhelmed daily by the perfection of the stories that weave throughout the bible. Prophecies that specifically point to the coming of Jesus Christ are found nearly 300 times in the old testament. Christ came from a beautiful line of people who fell appropriately far from the glory of God. They are a picture of us, a crew of raging fools..and it points to the absolute need for a savior. Without one, we are left only to idolize ourselves, actions and possessions. So, in some ways, maybe the billboard has won this bout. It ruffled my feathers and caused me to write on my blog. But, my only hope is that God would be glorified by this billboard as Christians pause to consider their faith, consider the character of Christ and grow in their desire to more closely align their words and actions to that of Christ..who, yes, probably wasn't born on December 25th.

High Fidelity Hoarding

Do you remember the hunt? Scouring the racks at the record store for "the next big thing," tilting your head sideways to read the spine of the CD cover, as you flip, flip, flipped through albums already owned? Now I know, I just lost a lot of street cred by mentioning CDs instead of LPs, but the beloved format of choice for all serious audiophiles was simply not part of my music collecting days. You searched for an artist just different enough that preferably your friends hadn't heard of or didn't have access to in their hometown record store. You could then present your new purchase like a rare artifact from an exciting adventure abroad. My collection started with a small stack of CDs by the boombox in my room. The first CD I ever owned was 10,000 Maniacs' "Our Time in Eden." It was such a disappointment. I thought the fact that I really enjoyed a song or two meant that the album was bound to be a terrific listen. It was a lesson we all had to learn. Most of us had to learn it over and over again. However, the opposite scenario often erased any memories of poor purchases, when you found that album that would live in your CD Player, playing over and over. You felt like you had a secret when your favorite song was "#8" on the disc, and not the lead single. The deep cuts that contained the sweet, extra-long solo not made for commercial radio, or lyrics that didn't translate to top 40 justified the $12-$15 spent. Often lost in that new album eurphoria, my collection quickly grew. I had to move my collection into an expandable rack because the stacks were growing too high. Then, came the large rack that looked more like furniture. Lastly, after getting married, because my wife didn't share my desire to display my collection, the CDs found a home in multiple trunks in our house. And there they sat. Simultaneously, the number of mp3 files I kept on my computer grew. But with 9-10,000 songs on my computer, the game had completely changed. I now only buy a couple of full albums a year and I more often will buy random tunes I've heard somewhere on the internet. This is no small thing, I devoted countless hours, days, in some ways of looking at it, even years to collecting, arranging and hoarding music. Now, my collection feels more like a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. Sometimes I will put iTunes on shuffle to see what surprises come up and it usually feels more like wearing those jam shorts I wore in elementary school, uncomfortable and out of style. It has left me with this lingering question. Why do we collect? Our collections usually mean nothing to anyone other than ourselves and we rarely spend time revisiting our collection. I'm going to throw out a ridiculous question. Is it even a sin to hoard this much of one thing? Is it greed? That might be a little over-the-top, but the idea has been bouncing around in my head a bit lately. I've spent so much time holding on to things that don't matter to anyone but myself and even I have lost interest.

Boldness

It's often said that politics and religion are not to be discussed at the dinner table..along with any comments about the unsavory state of the mashed potatoes. We've heard that these things are best left at the doorstep. While this still allows many meaningful topics to be discussed in casual conversation, there is also the implied assumption that only simple, surface level, "how is the weather?" type banter is commonly welcomed. The gospel according to Ms. Manners has created a culture where each of us is often afraid to dive any deeper than an inquiry about sports teams, children, or storm fronts. Granted, upon introduction, I'm not suggesting we ask "Dan" about his recent colonoscopy or try to engage in a debate about the rapture, but this rule of safety in communication has left us paralyzed in some of our most precious relationships. I'm less concerned with politics, because my opinion is rarely represented by any one party, and frankly, I often don't care enough to spin my wheels about some new change in policy. But, when was the last time you asked some of your best friends, or moreover, your family members about the state of their spirit? "How can I pray for you?" "Would you pray for me?" or other, maybe more complex, questions about a loved one's spiritual walk are words we can barely muster the courage to utter. How do we even begin to engage in this type of conversation? I'm praying daily for boldness; a type of boldness rooted in the confidence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I'm encouraged by the words I read recently in Acts 4. When we follow Christ, the Holy Spirit will speak through us:

"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

This is my prayer, that others would take note that I have been with Jesus.

On a related note, for some outstanding chats about engaging in conversations with others, check out Shepherd of the Hills', a community of faith in Porter Ranch, CA, recent series called "My Faith Now." Specifically, the podcasts about Mormonism and Islam. While these are great resources for learning about other religions, they are an even better reminder on how to engage in meaningful, Christ-like, conversation.

Love, joy, peace and..

Thinking back to Sunday school and other religious gatherings from childhood, I remember at least annually seeing a mural or cutout of a tree displayed with fruits hanging from it's limbs each labeled, "love," "kindness," or some other attribute that I definitely didn't display when sharing my gameboy with my sister. As a Christian, these fruits of the spirit have become fairly familiar, and some might even be able to quickly rattle them off (probably the same people that can sing the presidents of the United States). These fruits are the visible signs of Christ living through us in our daily walk. In the bible, we find these fruits mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. However, my wife recently pointed out to me, after discovering the fact through a bible study, that this verse has an interesting and notable difference between the NIV and King James translation. It looks like this:

Galatians 5:22-23 (New International Version)
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

and the King James:

Galatians 5:22-23 (King James Version)
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The term that nearly leaps off the page in the King James version is: "longsuffering." In the NIV, "patience" has thankfully taken "longsuffering"'s place among the more familiar fruits. I mean, I can begin to understand patience. I can patiently wait in traffic, for that raise at work, or for the new ipod to be announced. I can even patiently wait for God to listen to my requests through prayer. However, I have a harder time identifying with: Long, patient endurance of insult, abuse or mistreatment. What is the Word of God suggesting? Am I to believe that following Christ and walking with the Spirit has a cost of suffering? I can't help but be reminded of Christ's words in Luke "Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." It seems the cross, an instrument of torture, is something I must align myself with daily and warmly greet as an attribute of following Christ. However, it leads me to these questions. What is following Christ costing me? Through what do I suffer in the name of Christ? Should I be concerned if it costs nothing all all?

Jesus Ruins Everything

I don't watch much TV. Not because I think it sounds impressive to say so, but because, generally, I don't find much, other than baseball or the occasional soccer match worth investing the necessary time. I also start feeling guilty about the time I wasted staring at a box (yep, still have the box type) in the corner of my living room. However, tonight, I find myself bachin' it, home alone, with a good bit of time on my hands. So, I baked some fish, dished up some coconut rice and curried vegetables, and sat down on the couch for a bit of summer programming. I landed on "Minute to Win It." The game show is fun with some mindless goals to win a bunch of money. I also found it intriguing that the contestants looked like they had just left Hefner's mansion, suited up in sporty outfits and were now broadcast on TV sets in countless living rooms. It took less than a few minutes for Jesus to come along, take a seat next to me on the couch and ruin everything. I heard it, fairly clearly, "Matt, you are watching pinup girls stack cups to win $2,500." "That's right I am!" I said defiantly. That never works. "Do you know how many impoverished children you could feed with $2,500?" "Do you know how quickly an orphan would stack cups for a chance at a clean bed, and a parent to love them?" I'm ruined. I'm absolutely ruined.

The Gross Clinic

This morning in the car I heard a story on NPR describing the attempts to clean, repair, and restore the iconic painting, "The Gross Clinic" by Thomas Eakins. It was his masterpiece, a 19th century depiction of Dr. Samuel Gross lecturing a group of Jefferson Medical College students while they surgically treat a bone infection. The painting is historically significant because it, quite realistically and graphic for the time, gives the viewer a glimpse into the emerging science of surgery in the late 1800s. The story went on to explain how, naturally, over time, the painting has been subject to soot and decay. There have been multiple attempts over the past 100-plus years to restore Eakins work to it's original state. However, each time there has been some error or failure to accurately reflect the original vision of the painter. But recently, for the first time, through advancement in process, restoration specialists are able to properly illuminate Eakins' original work.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about both the necessity of forgiveness and what following Jesus looks like in my day to day life. The lifecycle of Eakins' "The Gross Clinic felt like a great parallel for both of these things and how they work together to glorify the Creator.
"For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."(Eph 2:10) However, while we are our Lord's masterpiece we find ourselves stumbling into sin daily. Even with best of intentions, we "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom 3:23). We lust for things and people, lie to advance ourselves in our personal lives and careers and engage in countless other acts of foolishness under the banner of "being true to myself." If you're like me, you can ignore the lasting mark of your daily sins for a while, but eventually the heaviness is undeniable. Much like Eakin's masterpiece, we find ourselves covered in soot and in a state of distress. We are a far cry from what we were designed and intended to be. The good news of forgiveness through Jesus is that we do not have to continue to carry the added weight of the soot. The advancements are already in place, through death on the cross, to seek and receive forgiveness. The result of forgiveness is two fold. The first, is so that we can again experience freedom. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."(John 8:36) But the second, even more important result of forgiveness, is that we will again accurately reflect our Maker. When we are restored to our original design, those around us will more easily see and be drawn to the Lord. When you see Michelangelo's "David," it's hard not to be mesmerized by the beauty of this singular work. And, I think it is fair to assume that most observers will then be inspired to pursue his other work, like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or the Pieta and soon be completely taken by the talent of the Creator. Forgiveness allows for freedom for our benefit but it most importantly allows God to be known and glorified by all those that we meet, speak to and cross paths with daily.

Where do you pray?

Recently, while hanging out with some of my Sudanese friends from The Lost Boys Foundation, I was asked by one of them, "where do you pray?" I hesitated with my reply because I was a little confused and caught off guard by the question. He followed up with, "Do you go to St. Bartholomew's or the Cathedral?.." Ah, I understood. He meant to ask "Where do I go to church?" I answered with, "I go to a small non-denominational church downtown." However, for days now his question has lingered and replayed in my mind. The phrasing of his question seemed far more essential and pertinent to a real faith journey. After all, the particular location of my Sunday gathering rarely has a lasting impact on my spiritual growth. Sure, great corporate worship or an especially thought-provoking sermon or homily can recharge me as I prepare for the coming work week. And, I don't mean to discount the importance of community. But I find, for me, nothing is more important than prayer that most closely resembles a constant conversation with God throughout my day. After all, the God of the Universe, the same one who created palm trees, polar bears and Pike's Peak, for some unexplainable reason wants to hang out with me. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." -Matthew 11:28. Throughout Psalms, David is a wonderful example of this constant stream of prayer. In battle, in perceived defeat, in shame, lost in exuberant moments he turns to the Father for renewal and praise. Considering this, my answer to my friend from Sudan is "I pray in the morning, I pray in befuddled fear, I pray in laughter, I pray in my bedroom and in my office, I pray in the place where I stand acknowledging that I am surrounded by Christ, my savior."