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Monday, September 13, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Are You a Disciple?
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Mark 8:34
It's so easy to think that as Christians, we have no tasks greater than believing and repenting, praying and reading. And to be sure, these are wonderful things--great starting points in the Christian walk.
But these things do not make us disciples of Jesus. Nor do they give us an abundant life.
To be a disciple and to experience the abundant life here on earth, Jesus said a man must:
1. deny himself - This does not refer to giving up a luxury. It refers, instead, to giving up the ownership of ourselves. To deny yourself means to sit in the passenger's seat, rather than the driver's seat--purposely giving up control over your life.
2. take up his cross - This does not refer to a trial, a hardship, or a handicap. To take up your cross means to be like Paul the Apostle--willing to suffer, willing to be persecuted, willing to be humbled, willing to die for the causes of Christ. It doesn't mean you will die for Christ, literally--just that you are willing to.
3. follow me - To follow Jesus means to obey him. We must do whatever he asks of us, relying on his power to do it.
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
Mark 8:35
Can one be a Christian, but not a disciple? Yes. You will make it to heaven, but in choosing to remain in the driver seat, you lose the abundant life. You will not know true fulfillment, true joy, here on earth. Whatever fleeting joy you do come across, it will never compare to what a disciple experiences.
"For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life (soul in the greek). For what can a man give in return for his soul?"
Mark 8: 36-37
So, what is the question of the week? The question I've been pondering so much these last couple months? What was the catalyst for this post?
Just this: Why is it that only ten percent of Christian readers click on a poverty-themed post?
The first reason is a simple one. Sometimes, people are battling something so big in the here and now, there's no room for more conflict.
The other reason is tragic.
The vast majority of Christians have said no to discipleship.
The cost is too high, and like the crowd Jesus spoke to, they've walked away. They've chosen to save--and therefore lose--their lives.
Taking up poverty as a cause is costly. Messy. You'll be shunned by family, friends, and fellow churchgoers. Kristin, from We Are That Family, did a lot of posts about poverty after returning from Kenya as a Compassion Blogger. She began getting comments from readers, complaining that she was trying to make people feel guilty. In truth she was only describing how and why her heart had changed, and how difficult it was at times, living in the tension of that change.
Really, it's no wonder the shunning occurs! For what does it look like to really care about poverty?
- You won't look like the Joneses anymore. You're giving so much to charity that you can no longer afford luxuries, like a stop at Starbuck's, or a weekly dinner out, or weekends away, or the latest fashions.
- People will stare. They will talk about you. "Why are they suddenly less well off? Don't they have good jobs? Aren't they successful, like us?"
- You won't have as many friends. Even if you don't flaunt your giving, people will probably find out anyway, and they'll be uncomfortable. They'll avoid you.
- You will be inconvenienced. Your life won't be as comfortable, and at times it might be downright uncomfortable, physically speaking.
Don't all these things happen anyway, though, when we choose discipleship? Yes! Discipleship looks just like this--messy, hard, lonely at times.
But let's not forget the reward! "...whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." This isn't referring merely to salvation, but to an abundant, fulfilling, worthwhile life.
Few people in this life will choose to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus.
So what about you? What about me? Have we been "saving it to lose it"? Or "losing it to save it"? Can we call ourselves disciples?
Here is Ann Voskamp's latest post about poverty in Guatemala. If you can't give, can you bend your knees for the cause?
Even if your own heart is ready, husbands aren't always on the same page when it comes to helping the poor. While this can be painful, we can't nag. We submit. We let Jesus do the heart work. We pray, "Make me a disciple, Jesus."
These verses speak of the rewards for helping the poor:
Ps 41:1-3; 112, Proverbs 14:21; 19:17, 22:9, 14:31, 28:27, Isaiah 58:6-10
These verses speak of the consequences for not helping the poor:
Ezek. 16:49, Is.10:1-3, Luke 1:52, Ezek. 22:29, 31, Jer. 5:28, James 5:1-6, Luke 6:24, Luke 16:19-25
Mark 8:34
It's so easy to think that as Christians, we have no tasks greater than believing and repenting, praying and reading. And to be sure, these are wonderful things--great starting points in the Christian walk.
But these things do not make us disciples of Jesus. Nor do they give us an abundant life.
To be a disciple and to experience the abundant life here on earth, Jesus said a man must:
1. deny himself - This does not refer to giving up a luxury. It refers, instead, to giving up the ownership of ourselves. To deny yourself means to sit in the passenger's seat, rather than the driver's seat--purposely giving up control over your life.
2. take up his cross - This does not refer to a trial, a hardship, or a handicap. To take up your cross means to be like Paul the Apostle--willing to suffer, willing to be persecuted, willing to be humbled, willing to die for the causes of Christ. It doesn't mean you will die for Christ, literally--just that you are willing to.
3. follow me - To follow Jesus means to obey him. We must do whatever he asks of us, relying on his power to do it.
"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
Mark 8:35
Can one be a Christian, but not a disciple? Yes. You will make it to heaven, but in choosing to remain in the driver seat, you lose the abundant life. You will not know true fulfillment, true joy, here on earth. Whatever fleeting joy you do come across, it will never compare to what a disciple experiences.
"For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life (soul in the greek). For what can a man give in return for his soul?"
Mark 8: 36-37
So, what is the question of the week? The question I've been pondering so much these last couple months? What was the catalyst for this post?
Just this: Why is it that only ten percent of Christian readers click on a poverty-themed post?
The first reason is a simple one. Sometimes, people are battling something so big in the here and now, there's no room for more conflict.
The other reason is tragic.
The vast majority of Christians have said no to discipleship.
The cost is too high, and like the crowd Jesus spoke to, they've walked away. They've chosen to save--and therefore lose--their lives.
Taking up poverty as a cause is costly. Messy. You'll be shunned by family, friends, and fellow churchgoers. Kristin, from We Are That Family, did a lot of posts about poverty after returning from Kenya as a Compassion Blogger. She began getting comments from readers, complaining that she was trying to make people feel guilty. In truth she was only describing how and why her heart had changed, and how difficult it was at times, living in the tension of that change.
Really, it's no wonder the shunning occurs! For what does it look like to really care about poverty?
- You won't look like the Joneses anymore. You're giving so much to charity that you can no longer afford luxuries, like a stop at Starbuck's, or a weekly dinner out, or weekends away, or the latest fashions.
- People will stare. They will talk about you. "Why are they suddenly less well off? Don't they have good jobs? Aren't they successful, like us?"
- You won't have as many friends. Even if you don't flaunt your giving, people will probably find out anyway, and they'll be uncomfortable. They'll avoid you.
- You will be inconvenienced. Your life won't be as comfortable, and at times it might be downright uncomfortable, physically speaking.
Don't all these things happen anyway, though, when we choose discipleship? Yes! Discipleship looks just like this--messy, hard, lonely at times.
But let's not forget the reward! "...whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." This isn't referring merely to salvation, but to an abundant, fulfilling, worthwhile life.
Few people in this life will choose to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Jesus.
So what about you? What about me? Have we been "saving it to lose it"? Or "losing it to save it"? Can we call ourselves disciples?
Here is Ann Voskamp's latest post about poverty in Guatemala. If you can't give, can you bend your knees for the cause?
Even if your own heart is ready, husbands aren't always on the same page when it comes to helping the poor. While this can be painful, we can't nag. We submit. We let Jesus do the heart work. We pray, "Make me a disciple, Jesus."
These verses speak of the rewards for helping the poor:
Ps 41:1-3; 112, Proverbs 14:21; 19:17, 22:9, 14:31, 28:27, Isaiah 58:6-10
These verses speak of the consequences for not helping the poor:
Ezek. 16:49, Is.10:1-3, Luke 1:52, Ezek. 22:29, 31, Jer. 5:28, James 5:1-6, Luke 6:24, Luke 16:19-25
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Shaun Groves - he's angry
This post is by Shaun Groves, leader of the Compassion Blogging trips: Long Distance and Slow Violence.
I know posts about poverty make people uncomfortable. In fact, few people even click on them. I figure those who click on them were prompted to by our Lord. Those who don't aren't ready to yet. God readies us for these images...these truths. When God is ready for you to respond in some way, you'll find yourself clicking on them readily.
In the meantime, please don't be offended by these posts.
I know posts about poverty make people uncomfortable. In fact, few people even click on them. I figure those who click on them were prompted to by our Lord. Those who don't aren't ready to yet. God readies us for these images...these truths. When God is ready for you to respond in some way, you'll find yourself clicking on them readily.
In the meantime, please don't be offended by these posts.
Sticky Glue
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may know the good, acceptable and perfect will of God."
Romans 12:2
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1 John 2:15
"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."
John 17:14
___________________________________
Peter, Paul and Mary went to AWANA tonight. I'm not helping this year, so far, so I have no control over the interactions my kids will have with other kids. This makes me nervous. I believe we are the only homeschooling family attending this year.
My children are going to be exposed to new things--not just to new verses. I have to be ready to ask a lot of questions, or I may miss something big--something that needs to be filtered through a Scriptural lens, lest my children adopt a worldly view on something.
Peter got a lesson tonight in what it means to be "set apart" by God.
Two boys in his class were talking about computer video games. Peter told them about a game he borrows from the library--Backyard Soccer (there is also one called Train Town they sometimes choose). We don't buy any computer games or other kids' software (too expensive).
The boys have a twenty-minute daily limit for their library pick, which I think is enough to allow them amusement time...but not enough to cause screen addiction.
One of the AWANA boys, upon hearing that Peter can only play for twenty minutes, bragged that he has lots of games and can play them for "three or five hours". And this boy also said "darn it". Peter mentioned that matter to me because we ask our kids not to use any "fake" cuss words, lest doing so trains their tongues to use real ones, someday.
Peter became uncomfortable and stayed out of the boys' conversation after that.
I have spoken to both my boys about computer screens causing addiction in people's lives. To me, this is a scary possibility, especially for highly visual kids, like my Paul.
I'm sure I don't have to mention that adults suffer too. You frequently hear people joke about their compulsive e-mail checking, Twitter checking, or Facebook checking. What's up with that, anyway? It's a newer problem, I presume. Are we addicted to approval, suddenly? To validation by our peers? If so, why aren't we more grounded in God's Word.....and in His view of us?
Is this rampant approval addiction caused by social networking, or did we always have it, but in a more hidden form? Is it merely a "keep up with the Joneses" phenomenon? We want to fit in...or lead the pack, even?
I struggle with a certain computer-related something.
If I spend a lot of time on a blog post, and feel it's a useful one with good insight, I rarely ever get any comments.
"Oh, my. I thought that was a good post. I must be out of my mind....nobody said a word. Did I offend someone?"
I shake off these feelings by reminding myself that, number one, I'm fortunate (and grateful) anyone takes the time to read my musings at all. Second, I remind myself that I just started writing 2.5 years ago. That's really nothing, as far as practice time goes. It takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something!
So after my 10,000 practice hours, if there are still no comments on what I think is a good post, I might have something to complain about. Until then, I need to shut up and keep trying.
Or just shut up.
Anyhow, after I publish one of these "good" posts, I compulsively check my e-mail--just like I hear people joke about. I don't use Twitter or Facebook, however. Our lives are too uneventful to bother!
As an aside, I understand if you publish a book nowadays, you're expected to join these social networking sites and use them to promote your book. Eeww. I bet Ann Voskamp, who has a book coming out next year, hates the self-promoting part of authoring books. I know I would have a hard time with that, as a fellow introvert.
Blog comments almost always show up in a blogger's inbox as a function of Blogger. Now unfortunately, the boys notice when I'm having a compulsive e-mail-checking day. Their noticing always makes me feel like a terrible parent who preaches one thing and lives another. I feel so weak, low, despicable. I hate it.
Okay. Enough with my long confession digression. Back to Peter's computer-game conversation.
After hearing of this boy's comments, I told Peter and Paul that it was none of our business how many hours someone uses a computer game--we are not to judge. There could be a newborn baby in the household, or an illness, which might explain a relaxing of regular computer rules. We never know what people are going through--or whether kids are telling a tall tale, for that matter.
But I felt they needed to know something else, too. God expects us to be set apart from the crowd, as Christians. We have to live for God and not covet the things of this world. And we must use our time wisely. We are bought and paid for by Jesus. He owns us, and wants us set apart for his purposes.
If we spend three hours playing a computer game, can God work on us during that time--molding and changing us? Can we focus on the Holy Spirit's whispers during that time?
In a word, no. We can't.
I think I saw comprehension in their eyes over this "set apart" concept, but I'm sure we'll be covering it more and more.
Perhaps the harder part is making sure our kids--and ourselves--are "set apart", without also being prideful or legalistic.
How do we live daily in the tension that exists between this world and the "set apart" one?
There is only one way.
We have to think of ourselves as having a covering of sticky glue. If we stay near to God....through our Bible...our prayer life....our quiet listening times....our spiritual music, then we'll be "stuck" to Him. If we venture too close to e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, computer games, new fashion, new phones, new cars, new decor--whatever we are making a god of--we'll stick to that instead.
We must pause during the day, asking:
"What am I stuck to, today? How can I pull away, and adhere only to God?'
Romans 12:2
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1 John 2:15
"I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world."
John 17:14
___________________________________
Peter, Paul and Mary went to AWANA tonight. I'm not helping this year, so far, so I have no control over the interactions my kids will have with other kids. This makes me nervous. I believe we are the only homeschooling family attending this year.
My children are going to be exposed to new things--not just to new verses. I have to be ready to ask a lot of questions, or I may miss something big--something that needs to be filtered through a Scriptural lens, lest my children adopt a worldly view on something.
Peter got a lesson tonight in what it means to be "set apart" by God.
Two boys in his class were talking about computer video games. Peter told them about a game he borrows from the library--Backyard Soccer (there is also one called Train Town they sometimes choose). We don't buy any computer games or other kids' software (too expensive).
The boys have a twenty-minute daily limit for their library pick, which I think is enough to allow them amusement time...but not enough to cause screen addiction.
One of the AWANA boys, upon hearing that Peter can only play for twenty minutes, bragged that he has lots of games and can play them for "three or five hours". And this boy also said "darn it". Peter mentioned that matter to me because we ask our kids not to use any "fake" cuss words, lest doing so trains their tongues to use real ones, someday.
Peter became uncomfortable and stayed out of the boys' conversation after that.
I have spoken to both my boys about computer screens causing addiction in people's lives. To me, this is a scary possibility, especially for highly visual kids, like my Paul.
I'm sure I don't have to mention that adults suffer too. You frequently hear people joke about their compulsive e-mail checking, Twitter checking, or Facebook checking. What's up with that, anyway? It's a newer problem, I presume. Are we addicted to approval, suddenly? To validation by our peers? If so, why aren't we more grounded in God's Word.....and in His view of us?
Is this rampant approval addiction caused by social networking, or did we always have it, but in a more hidden form? Is it merely a "keep up with the Joneses" phenomenon? We want to fit in...or lead the pack, even?
I struggle with a certain computer-related something.
If I spend a lot of time on a blog post, and feel it's a useful one with good insight, I rarely ever get any comments.
"Oh, my. I thought that was a good post. I must be out of my mind....nobody said a word. Did I offend someone?"
I shake off these feelings by reminding myself that, number one, I'm fortunate (and grateful) anyone takes the time to read my musings at all. Second, I remind myself that I just started writing 2.5 years ago. That's really nothing, as far as practice time goes. It takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something!
So after my 10,000 practice hours, if there are still no comments on what I think is a good post, I might have something to complain about. Until then, I need to shut up and keep trying.
Or just shut up.
Anyhow, after I publish one of these "good" posts, I compulsively check my e-mail--just like I hear people joke about. I don't use Twitter or Facebook, however. Our lives are too uneventful to bother!
As an aside, I understand if you publish a book nowadays, you're expected to join these social networking sites and use them to promote your book. Eeww. I bet Ann Voskamp, who has a book coming out next year, hates the self-promoting part of authoring books. I know I would have a hard time with that, as a fellow introvert.
Blog comments almost always show up in a blogger's inbox as a function of Blogger. Now unfortunately, the boys notice when I'm having a compulsive e-mail-checking day. Their noticing always makes me feel like a terrible parent who preaches one thing and lives another. I feel so weak, low, despicable. I hate it.
Okay. Enough with my long c
After hearing of this boy's comments, I told Peter and Paul that it was none of our business how many hours someone uses a computer game--we are not to judge. There could be a newborn baby in the household, or an illness, which might explain a relaxing of regular computer rules. We never know what people are going through--or whether kids are telling a tall tale, for that matter.
But I felt they needed to know something else, too. God expects us to be set apart from the crowd, as Christians. We have to live for God and not covet the things of this world. And we must use our time wisely. We are bought and paid for by Jesus. He owns us, and wants us set apart for his purposes.
If we spend three hours playing a computer game, can God work on us during that time--molding and changing us? Can we focus on the Holy Spirit's whispers during that time?
In a word, no. We can't.
I think I saw comprehension in their eyes over this "set apart" concept, but I'm sure we'll be covering it more and more.
Perhaps the harder part is making sure our kids--and ourselves--are "set apart", without also being prideful or legalistic.
How do we live daily in the tension that exists between this world and the "set apart" one?
There is only one way.
We have to think of ourselves as having a covering of sticky glue. If we stay near to God....through our Bible...our prayer life....our quiet listening times....our spiritual music, then we'll be "stuck" to Him. If we venture too close to e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, computer games, new fashion, new phones, new cars, new decor--whatever we are making a god of--we'll stick to that instead.
We must pause during the day, asking:
"What am I stuck to, today? How can I pull away, and adhere only to God?'
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Ann's 2nd post
Here is Ann's next Compassion post. Some of the team traveled for nearly 24 hours, so they probably need our prayers for strength and renewal. I'm sure exhaustion doesn't bode well for team cohesiveness. This team varies widely in personalities, as I'm sure most ministry teams do.
Here is the link to the official Compassion Blog. You can read the other team member posts--as well as Ann's--at that site all this week.
Here is the link to the official Compassion Blog. You can read the other team member posts--as well as Ann's--at that site all this week.
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