Blessings #177 to 194

177.  A walk with my family down streets filled with Christmas lights

178.  Colby giving Calli a piggy-back ride. There is nothing better as a parent, than seeing evidence of your children’s love for one another!

179.  Christmas

180.  Christmas cards from longtime friends scattered around the country

181.  Knowing that there are many friends looking out for my mom and helping her out when I am out of town

182.  Being able to help family

183.  In-laws that are far more generous than I deserve

184.  Cousins that my kids love being with and who love my kids back

185.  A thoughtful, movie that stirs the mind and heart

186.  Discovering obscure music that I like

187.  A used book store and having time to search for those hidden treasures at a good price

188.  Colby accepted to intern at Niños de Mexico for the summer and knowing that he will be spend three months learning, growing, and helping in an incredible place with wonderful people.

189.  The 17 hour marathon drive home from Fresno made easier by the whole family taking turns driving (even Calli!)

190.  Home

191.  A visit from Hannah before she returns to Guatemala and the encouragement from her faithfulness

192.  A good night’s sleep

193.  Waking up without a headache

194.  A new member to the family - Beka!

A Christmas Carol (Blessing #176)

It was the evening before leaving on our annual Christmas pilgrimage to California to spend the holidays with Sandy’s family. Sandy and I had just sat down for a few minutes to collect our thoughts and discuss our plan of attack for packing, when there was an unexpected knock on our door. Answering the knock, I was greeted by a line of five teenage boys, led by our neighbor across the street, each of them former students of mine. The way they had arranged themselves on our sidewalk, it looked as though they were prepared to sing a song and I halfway expected an old movie Christmas scene to be performed in our front yard. To my disappointment, however, they were merely there in search of my son, who was gone for the evening.  

But before they left too quickly, I mentioned my observation, that the way they had lined themselves up led me to believe that they should be singing us a Christmas carol. One of them agreed while chastising the others for not listening to his earlier idea to do this very thing. Another suggested that they sing “Jingle Bells,” most likely because that is the only Christmas song with words that had actually remained in their collective memories. The five of them argued and laughed and mixed in a gentle, joking push here and there and then they were off, back across the street, understanding that my request for a Christmas carol was made mostly in jest and feeling like they had sufficiently participated in the fun.

As I closed the door, I was glad for the exchange, but a bit disappointed in the end result. I wandered through the kitchen (the kitchen is a magnet for me when I don’t know what else to do) and saw several frosted, Christmas cookies that certainly would not be eaten by the time we left in the morning. “Text Brody,” I told Sandy, “and tell him that if they all come back and sing us a song, we have cookies for them.” I wasn’t sure how they would respond, but I was hopeful that they would come back. 

I’m not sure others understand how satisfying it is for me, as a teacher, to see my former students in other contexts - to interact with them in positive and fun ways outside of anything associated with school, but I cherish those moments. Among the five was the full gambit of students, from wonderful in the classroom to frustrating and various degrees between the two. But here, at my front door, they were just teenage boys in the neighborhood, who, whether they know it or not, I care about. The past conflicts with math and homework were forgotten and I was able to simply appreciate who they are now. More than I wanted I song, I simply wanted them to know that I appreciated their visit. I wanted them to know, in the smallest of ways, that despite our lack of contact since middle school math, I still cared about them and enjoyed their silliness. I am not always good at that, but this was a rare opportunity that I did not want to slip away.

The second knock on the door came just a few minutes after Sandy’s text. This time we both went to the door, cookies in hand, to see what would greet us. To our delight, the five boys immediately burst into a rousing rendition of “Jingle Bells,” complete with choreographed jumps and a solo backflip by one as the grand finale. And then they converged on the cookies like a school of sharks to fresh meat. We thanked them and we all laughed and then they quickly shuffled back across the street, mission accomplished. 

They probably thought it was nothing - a moment’s entertainment and an easy way to score some dessert. But it was more to me than they will likely ever know. It was much needed encouragement in the midst of a difficult year as a teacher. It was refreshing and oddly inspiring. It was an unexpected, unintentional blessing and the perfect way to be sent off on our holiday excursion.

Blessings #156 to 175

156.  A final push on the school fundraiser for Generation Alive that brought in more money than expected

157.  Learning from mistakes and learning from doing - taking a step out to do something foreign (leading the Generation Alive fundraiser) and seeing the simple changes that will make things better the second time around

158.  A team of Math teachers that share sarcastic humor

159.  A day with the math team to do what we can’t do during the normal day

160.  Finishing a curriculum map with time to spare

161.  Snow, finally snow, and the beautiful white blanket it creates

162.  More time off than I deserve

163.  Road trips with the whole family and having my kids still act like kids

164.  A gas station in the middle of nowhere just when I was thinking we might not make it to the next town

165.  A chance to read in the car

166.  A lazy day of sightseeing on the second day of our annual trip to California

167.  The beauty of historic architecture

168.  Colby’s appreciation and enthusiasm for the beauty around him, wherever he might be

169.  Friendly strangers

170.  Friendly dogs

171.  A reminder that my migraines have been fewer and further between occurrences and I have been able to manage without medication

172.  Buying a collar and tag for our new dog, the anticipation of having a new member to the family

173.  Hearing that there are people that actually read my blog and like it

174.  Sunny and 65 degrees on Christmas eve (although I would consider a foot of snow and 30 degrees a blessing as well!)

175.  A hike with a great niece and nephew on Christmas Eve, even when it doesn't turn out quite like we had planned

Blessings #137 to #155

137.  Safe travels over the Thanksgiving break

138.  A road trip with Grandma

139.  My mom who puts up with our family’s silliness

140.  A family that helps me recover when I get “stressed out”

141.  A gas stove to cut the cold when the furnace stops working

142.  Turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving

143.  Having my mom close enough to be able to help her and look out for her

144.  The willingness of Sandy to make sacrifices for the sake of taking care of my mom

145.  Being able to to agree easily with my sister on matters that impact our mom and our families. It is an amazing blessing to know that she will not look at family decisions in a selfish way, but will always have the best interest of all of us in mind

146.  The friendly joking of a neighbor, bragging that his Christmas lights are up before mine!

147.  Unexpected expenses that we are able to pay

148.  Being sought by a distant, but dear friend for prayer

149.  Students willing to do extra work for a noble cause

150.  Multiple opportunities to talk to people about fair trade and why it fits with our faith

151.  A great day for Gifts of Hope at the local craft fair

152.  Being able to decide easily on a group for the next Ninos de Mexico short term mission trip and feeling confident that the group will be great.

153.  Making difficult decisions with Sandy - there is no one else I would want to agonize with when decisions get complicated.

154.  Seeing Calli willing to do things out of her comfort zone and experiencing success!

155.  Progress in the school fund raising efforts for Generation Alive

Jesus Said?

If you start a sentence with “Jesus told me ...,” chances are I am not going to believe the rest of what you say. I’m just being honest. I have heard way too many “Jesus said...” statements that have led to people doing stupid things and I have heard way too many of those statements without convincing evidence or argument that Jesus really said anything at all. I don’t believe that Jesus told you who to date or who to marry. I don’t believe Jesus told you to stop watching television. I don’t believe Jesus told you not to shop at a certain store. I don’t believe Jesus told you to take a different route home to avoid an accident. I don’t believe Jesus told you to buy a house. I don’t believe Jesus told you to get a tattoo. I don’t believe Jesus told you to leave this church for that church. I don’t believe Jesus told you what to say or when to say it or who to say it too. I don’t believe Jesus said most of the things that Christians say Jesus said. 

Go ahead and throw your stones and call me a heretic if you want, but I don’t think you will convince me to change my mind. There are still plenty of things that I believe Jesus did say.

• I believe Jesus said to love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind
• I believe Jesus said to love our neighbor as ourself
• I believe Jesus said to love our enemies
• I believe Jesus said to fast without telling others about our fast
• I believe Jesus said to pray in a closest so that others don’t know we are praying
• I believe Jesus said to give our money without anyone knowing that we are giving
• I believe Jesus said that we will be persecuted
• I believe Jesus said that the poor are blessed
• I believe Jesus said that those who morn are blessed
• I believe Jesus said that the meek are blessed
• I believe Jesus said that those that hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed
• I believe Jesus said to care for the poor
• I believe Jesus said to give more than what is asked of us
• I believe Jesus said to make disciples
• I believe Jesus said to remember his death and resurrection
• I believe Jesus said not to worry
• I believe Jesus said to forgive
• I believe Jesus said there will be a day of judgement when some people will be surprised that they are not going to heaven

I believe Jesus said each of those things because they are actually written in the scriptures that he said those things. If I believe the Bible to be fully true, then there can be no doubt about those statements. There is no argument against any of those things that I believe Jesus said.

But you can’t show me anywhere that Jesus ever promised that he will tell us what to do beyond what is already revealed in the Bible. If you can, show me that promise. But don’t use Jesus talking to Paul as an example of Jesus talking to people and try to rationalize that into the norm. That was no more normal than Moses parting the Red Sea and the conversation was a little more impressive than deciding on a tattoo design. In fact show me in the Bible where God promises to reveal His individual will for us on a daily or weekly basis... or ever. Show me where we are promised to have God speak to us to tell us what to do in the mundane things in life. As wonderful and as spiritual as that sounds, it isn’t there, at least not if you treat scripture with integrity. If we simply point to “heroes” of the Bible as examples of God giving direction, I would ask if those instances look like the norm or were those men and women of faith specially chosen for a special purpose? Do you put yourself and your daily choices in the same plane as those spoken of in scripture? 

Here is my problem with “Jesus said” statements - they often have a subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) smell of spiritual arrogance without having scriptural support. Complicating the problem further, leaders encourage the unbiblical practice by modeling the behavior, so that spiritually immature believers mimic their behavior before they ever have any rudimentary grasp of what the Bible teaches about God’s will and God’s leading in our lives. And, hey, it is a lot easier just to put “Jesus said” in front of my statements than it is to read and study hundreds of pages of stuff I really don’t want to read anyway. Its kind of cool, because I can stay ignorant, but still sound spiritual. 

So, if I attach “Jesus said” to the beginning of what I say, I essentially accomplish three things:

1. I eliminate arguments, because you would look silly arguing with Jesus.
2. I justify my decision without ever needing to actually justify my decision.
3. I make myself look more spiritually mature than I probably am.

Let’s see... isn’t that what the Pharisees tried to do. They put down arguments and resistance to their laws by claiming they had the voice of God on their side. And, of course, their spiritual maturity was unquestioned, because of all the religious things they did. 

The problem with us is that we do the same thing with our “Christian” butchery of language. We use “Christian” phrases to make what we say sound like it has more authority than it really does and in so doing we proclaim our spiritual superiority by claiming direct communication with Jesus. That is heady stuff, but it also has the odor Pharisee.

I don’t believe Jesus is going to tell you to stop watching television. I believe you might be convicted that it is a good thing to do, either because of the money you spend or the time you waste or the temptation it presents, but I believe it is a conviction, not an oracle from God. As we grow and learn and mature in our faith, I believe there are things that we choose to do - good things, for good reasons and right motives. The actions are probably positive, but most likely they are actions born out of beliefs and convictions, through the maturing of our faith, not divine revelation. We learn, we grow, we change, we mature. We use scripture to guide us and the Spirit to prompt us and give us understanding. But we should be careful about turning our convictions into a voice from God. We should encourage young believers to study scripture to learn what Jesus has truly said rather than teach them to translate feelings and emotions and circumstances into “Jesus said” statements. After-all, if we actually did all the things that Jesus has already commanded ALL of us to do, I doubt there would be any need for Jesus to tell us anything else.

Music Is Not A Synonym For Worship

Music is not worship. We should get that straight from the start. Just because music is played in the context of a church service or a Christian event, it is not automatically the equivalent of worship. We should also be clear that when we talk about worship, we are not automatically talking about music. Music and worship are not synonyms when used in the Christian context. They are separate entities. Sometimes they overlap, but they do not automatically merge and they are not one in the same. Too often, though, we talk as if they are. We differentiate the “worship” time of our service by referring to music, as if the rest of the service is something else. But the reality is that everything we do during a Sunday morning “worship service” should be an act of worship - from our initial greetings, through the music and communion and the sermon to the closing prayer at the end. All should be acts of worship, whether we are participating from the stage or from the pew.

But none of those parts of the service are worship in and of themselves. I can shake someone’s hand without it being an act of worship, whether I am in a church setting or in a bar. I can turn that same handshake into worship regardless of where I am as well. I can go through the motions through all the parts of a church service and never worship. On any given week, it is entirely possible to worship outside the church building more than inside it. It is possible because worship is not dependent on the event, or the place or the person or persons I am participating with - worship is a matter of my heart. Worship depends only on me. It depends on my choice to ascribe worth to God, wherever I am and in whatever context I find myself. 

So, when the music begins on Sunday morning, it is not worship until I make it worship. We must be reminded of that. Worship is dependent on me and only me. No peripheral circumstances can dictate my worship without my permission. Likewise, my ability to worship is not dictated by emotion. Worship is not a feeling any more than love is a feeling. A warm fuzzy feeling does not mean deeper, more meaningful worship, just like a warm fuzzy feeling is not an accurate indicator of love. Creating a certain “mood” might help me focus and get me that special tingly feeling, but that, in itself, is not worship and it is not what dictates whether I worship or not. I’ve been to secular concerts and I have seen the same emotions exhibited there as I see in a Sunday service. The emotion is not the worship. The feeling is not the worship. The mood is not the worship. All those things might make it easier for me to focus on worship, which is good, and those things might come as a result of worship, but we must understand that worship does not automatically follow because those things are optimal. 

We must also understand that worship is not necessarily negated when those things are not optimal. If the music is not to our liking or the mood does not get us tingly or the music leader is not getting me all teary eyed, it should not negate my ability to worship. My ability to ascribe worth to God is not dependent on mood, or music style, or music quality, or passionate words from a minister. My ability to ascribe worth to God is only dependent on my ability to understand that the one and only true God is worthy of all praise and all glory regardless of the circumstances around me. Paul worshipped in prison. Early disciples worshipped after lashings. Stephen worshipped while being killed by pious people hurtling rocks at him. What does it say about us when we say we couldn’t worship on Sunday morning because of the music? Was the music worse than prison? Worse than a lashing? Worse than being stoned? Is it really possible for our brothers and sisters in Christ to share music, with the best of intentions to glorify God, that is so bad that it prevents us from being able to worship. I would say that is utter nonsense and it says more about our view of worship than it does about the music that is being played. It says much about our over-dependence on mood and emotion. It says that we have elevated music to be far more important than it really is. It says much about the disconnect between what we say is worship and what we live out as worship.