Memorial day? What is it we remember exactly?

Today is memorial day. Regardless of the debated views surrounding its origins, it is set aside by the Federal Government as a day to remember the many individuals who have died defending the United States of America. Most folks will celebrate the day in remembrance of the fallen around swimming pools and BBQ grills, with very little ascent to the fallen dead. But for those that do set apart time to commemorate the valiant effort and brave actions of men and women throughout military history, it is a day of somber remembrance and grateful reflection of the freedom they now currently enjoy.

Freedom is a very biased word. It may even be a biased value as well. Hidden in the meaning of Memorial Day and the freedom derived from the military campaigns that cost the lives of those memorial dead provides a veil for something entirely different.

Sentimental thoughts see slaves freed burying the Civil War's Union dead to the shrapnel filled carcasses sent home in pine boxes from Afghanistan's war torn countrysides. Americans abroad focus on their ability to live leisurely lifestyles and cast bi-partisan votes on election day as freedom. In quoting John Piper from a message titled Don't Waste Your Life, "that's a tragedy." Whenever freedom is exchanged or evaluated by the cost of an individuals life, freedom becomes contingent upon the loss of freedom for those who lose their lives. Now, that sacrifice becomes noble and worthy of remembrance at cook-outs around the country.

I am perplexed. When it is suggested that one is enslaved to their hatred, anger, lusts, covetousness, adulteries, lies, or idolatry, it is met with resistance and ridicule. Even if you include that freedom is had by the death of Jesus Christ and new life through his resurrection if one turns from those sins, you are sure to be met with persecution. But, if you suggest that someone has given their life so that you can own a 4 bedroom ranch, a sports car, and voting rights, praise and rejoicing breaks out.

The question remains, what really is the cost? Arthur Sido at "The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia," has summarized some statistical information that draws an interesting parallel between the combined numbers of dead service men and women in major U.S. military campaigns. The data of the latter dwarfs in comparison to the staggering number of aborted Americans in 2008 alone. You can see his post, "Some other Americans to remember today."

So what is it that we commemorate? Death, or life as a result of the death of another? In turn, what is the measure and value of the life that is lived as a result of the cost of the sacrifice? Today, let us remember those who have lost life, be it for a cause or vain glory. But remember, our Patriot dead are no more significant than enemy dead. The loss of human life is loss of life period. That can be seen in the devastating statistics seen in abortions every day.

Jesus Christ came that we may have life eternal. Not so that you can go to church on Sunday, have a 4 bedroom ranch, or go to war in the name of freedom. His life serves as a ransom for many, and as he refers to those who follow him as sheep, and he the shepherd, those who are his sheep will hear his voice (John 10:9-11). Those who truly love Jesus Christ, keep his commandments (John 14:15, 15:10). Today, remember the death of Jesus Christ, pray for those who will die (in war or the womb) without knowing him, and count the cost of your own life today (Luke 9:62).

I leave you with this video, which gets to the heart of the matter. Happy Memorial day.

A Twisted Scripture 7

In the spirit of Alan Knox's "Scripture...as We Live It" series,

For you can all only men prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of male prophets are subject to prophets. (1Co 14:31-32 Twisted)

Getting to the root of sin and its place in our lives

Read an interesting post at Evangelical Crossroads, Weeds: Theology from the garden today via the Koinonia blog. I was originally attracted to the gardening analogy used to demonstrate the point of sins very real presence in our lives, amidst all that we are and do. Because I garden, I understood the point, and it makes perfect sense when you consider the reality of sin on the surface but fail to contend earnestly with the roots below.

Author Chelle Stearns says,

"The imagery of weeds, sin and evil is intertwined throughout the Bible. The Old Testament prophets spoke of how God would uproot and plant. Judgment would be a sorting and a tending by God. Jesus, especially in the gospel of Matthew, talks of the complexity of discerning between the wheat and the weeds, and it would not be until the end of the harvest that whatever was not planted by God would be bound up and thrown in the fire. Jesus promises that at the end of the age, everything and everyone who causes sin and evil will be uprooted (cf. Matthew 13). In other words, Jesus is the good gardener who is patient enough to tend to his garden, not wanting to uproot too soon (2 Peter 3:9). God wants us to flourish, in the midst of all the weeds. Believe it or not, the healthier my garden, the fewer weeds. And so I wait, and I weed."

This is a great analogy to consider when we ponder the forbearance and longsuffering of our Lord Jesus Christ when we come face to face with our own inability to succeed at removing all the weeds in our lives, including the roots.

Are other people allowed in your refrigerator?

Growing up, the refrigerator door was not a toy. At least that is what I remember mom telling me when I would swing it open. She also used to remind me that no duration of time spent gawking into the shelves would make any yummy treats appear that were not already present. Needless to say, I was not allowed to swing, peer aimlessly, or pointlessly open the door to the fridge without reason.

However, should I need to provide myself with a sandwich or a cup of kool-aid, the door was always an option, and I generally exercised privilege when there was purpose to the opening of the fridge. But there was an unspoken policy in place when it came to other people opening that door.

Having many friends from the neighborhood over frequently, the house was common ground to most who passed through. But, the fridge was not to be opened by those who did not reside in the house. Our home operated on a budget and a single income, sometimes even on state or federal assistance, making the contents of our fridge very valuable indeed. The refrigerator door was not to be opened by those who were not residents of the home, and those who did would be quickly reminded not to enter the forbidden fridge zone.

After growing up, I began to notice that this rule was not unique to my home, or dictated by a denominator of neighborhood children running to and fro spreading germs and invading privacy. I even experienced the same taboo feeling of daring to open the refrigerator door in the homes of close family members whose homes were open, but not frequented enough to warrant fridge rights.

To this day, I can honestly say that a visit to someones home brings fear and trepidation if they say that I am welcome to help myself to the contents of their refrigerator. Even if they insist, opening that door and exposing unknown contents, and fumbling for unfamiliar condiments to assemble a sandwich can provide great anxiety. It is much easier when people just get what I need out of the fridge for me and everyone is much happier that way.

Other people's refrigerators are messy. Sometimes they contain really leftover leftovers. The contents of a fridge can tell you many things about a person or family. Many refrigerators can give you a quick glimpse into the financial situation of its owner. It is interesting how much we can learn from a refrigerator is it not? Most people are uneasy about other people entering their refrigerators, and likewise their lives. I think the two can easily be one in the same. While thinking about Christian fellowship, the refrigerator door showed me what it is like to really have all things in common with others.

When I was younger, other people were not allowed in the fridge. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, my fridge is open to any who dare open it. And it's contents belong to any who desires to have them, even if it is the last turkey sandwich.

For me, true Christian Fellowship can be seen in the privilege of access to your brothers and sisters refrigerators. Even more so, fellowship is established mutually. A refrigerator full of leftovers is not a blight on your reputation when you truly desire to have others see you as you are. Commonality exists in the content of our relationships, and is truly fostered in Christ-like conformity when we allow our guards to go down and the doors of our refrigerators to swing open. Even though it is easier to just have someone serve you from their refrigerator themselves, we miss out on much of the value had in earning the trust and love in genuine relationship with others. When all things are in common, the relationship becomes more important than the possession, and that last piece of cheesecake truly belongs to any who desires it. My fridge is your fridge.

Now if you really want to push someone's allegiance to the limit and test the measure of their resolve, ask them to help you clean a dirty refrigerator. That might be the fellowship breaker indeed!

Could someone please tell me where fellowship is?

It feels like forever since I remember my first struggle with the ideal of 'simple church.' You can call it home church, organic church, real church, or whatever church. But, principally, I was wrestling with what others were exclaiming to me was "biblical church."

You see, it all began when I started reading the scripture. No, I mean really reading the scripture! As I became more acquainted with the 'stories' and started to relate the 'characters' to actual 'events' lived out by real life 'people,' my biblical church view was becoming challenged.

As I was in the membership class of yet another church I had begun attending, looking for biblical fellowship and teaching, I started to feel completely torn in two. My brain was quite literally being divided between two positions. These two positions became the proverbial dogfight for quite some time.

One one hand, I was in an established church, in a respected community with excellent well accomplished elders. Their degrees and pedigree spoke loudly enough to attract any man dignified enough to label himself 'evangelical.' There were morning bible studies that brought together those who could get up early enough to make it in and hold their eyes open, and it was profitable, and allowed great discussions. Then at the strike of the hour, everyone shuffled from the classroom, to the foyer, to the sanctuary. Then, as the regular folk's began arriving, the sanctuary got settled, the organ piped on and the opening hymn began. At this point, you knew exactly what was going to happen, when it was going to happen, and at what time it would happen. Like clockwork, you could count on your worship folder and your watch to dictate your actions, and along with everyone else, fall in lockstep with the symphony of the meeting that is called church.

On the other hand, I was not quite satisfied with the 'fellowship' endured through three songs, a prayer, a sermon, and a benediction. I felt completely isolated in a room full of people. Something was missing. I guess I had fellowship in the coffee room with the leftover McDonald's someone graciously brought in, but that would not really pass scriptural muster in most places for 'fellowship' would it? That would be too much like a soccer game being sanctified because a couple church folk show up there. I did get to chat with the pastor briefly in the foyer and shake his hand. Even though I knew him pretty decently, it was like I got to meet him all over again each Sunday morning. He was a pretty busy guy, and if I had tough questions after the sermon, he would ask me to hold on to them until later, there was a line forming behind me. I suppose I could understand that, people really do not like waiting in lines, especially when they are in a hurry.

It is safe to say I was torn. Although I was struggling greatly with it, I had started driving to a friends home after these Sunday services to meet with them, to share scripture, to pray, and to break bread as we remembered the Lord Jesus. We were actually allowed to casually approach one another, share in each others lives, and honestly dig into the scriptures together. There was no pulpit, and nobody bothered arranging music. But someone always had a teaching, and someone almost always brought a song. Even though there was no worship folder, I knew what to expect. Whenever I would arrive there after the Sunday services I attended, I would expect fellowship. Each Sunday I drove there, I left fulfilled. It was indeed challenging, and these days were often very long, but I was starting to see something I had never seen before. I was seeing the lives of other believers, having things in common with them, and bonding with them as if they were my own brothers and sisters.

I cannot recall the length of time that this went on, but the more it did, the more challenged I became. Ultimately, I found myself at war with what I experienced in the morning because of what I witnessed occur in the evenings. I was also confused by what was going on in the evening because of what I knew from the morning services. And in between the two, I was forced to open my bible and begin to study this thing called the church. My conscience became so conflicted that I could no longer read what I knew was the status-quo in the mornings into the texts that were coming alive in the scriptures when I was allowing them to say what they meant. The book of Acts stopped being obscure and primarily descriptive and began demanding my obedience to the truth of what the early church gave their lives for.

In all of this, I was left holding a bible, looking at two meetings, and asking myself, where is fellowship? Most importantly, I had to open the bible and begin listening to the words that God inspired himself, and asking myself the question, what is fellowship?

How about your experience? Do you struggle with the traditional established churches of today? Do you see a discrepancy between today's practices and what the New Testament illustrates? Which discrepancies are the most difficult to reconcile? I am curious to hear your thoughts? Is this a conversation you have ever had with yourself?

Spring is here and Square Foot Gardening is near!

So, I have been missing for quite some time, at least here at the blog that is. Spring is upon us here in Southeastern Michigan, and with the warm weather, comes new outside activities! Along with the responsibilities of a new job, raising a new baby, and everything else in between, we have decided to take up gardening!

In the past, I have tended traditional row gardens, and with some success, managed to harvest a crop or two. But those harvests often came with the burden of fighting weeds and time. Living in a condo with a small patio, we were not very sure we would ever accomplish the feat of a garden in such small quarters. We definitely could not fathom creating a row garden in our closed in patio, that essentially amounts to about 10' x 20' or so. On top of the cramped space, the ground area on our patio was a mud pit and weed patch. Then there is the dilemma of sunlight not hitting the ground for sufficient amounts of time. Needless to say, our gardening outlook was bleak.

But then a friend helped us out with a book he had come across. All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew is about a system of gardening made simple. Using raised beds, table tops, or deck railings, anyone can have a garden. The method not only allows you to utilize a custom soil/compost mixture that is proven to raise premium organic vegetables, but it also is broken down into simple terms, illustrations, and cost-effective material usage to help just about anyone get setup and growing! With good drainage, efficient use of water, and efficient space utilization, any area can become a productive garden that produces a crop rival to any traditional row crop around, in proportion of course!

With our limited space and planting time approaching quickly, I ordered the book, bought supplies, and prepared a space for planting. It has been a harried past month or so, but now that everything is ready, my garden is planted, and the patio is now a pleasant garden and retreat, I think we will actually have a tad more time for....the new baby!

Well, If you are a gardener, and you would like to check the method out, I have posted some progress pictures below. We will see how the crops finish at harvest time, but as for now, everything is doing great! I highly recommend this book not just for its information and instruction, but because it is fun to read and the illustrations make a pro out of any novice! Happy gardening!

 

Book Review: The Essential Bible Companion To The Psalms, by Brian L. Webster and David R. Beach

There are two types of books a student of the Bible can benefit from. Commentaries, which can be very involved and theologically deep and companions, which can serve as quick references or summaries. While both resources can vary in skill and ability required to utilize them fully, the latter tends to be more accessible for the every day reader.

The Essential Bible Companion to the Psalms is an excellent example of accessibility. Sitting down with the Psalms and giving them a cursory read will often leave the reader with questions or confusion. But, this new resource from Zondervan helps illuminate several key areas of each Psalm for the reader,

• Theme - an overarching and common thread that runs through each Psalm
• Type - categorized by various genres of Psalms that appear in the Scriptures
• Background - a contextual synopsis of the historical and literal events that influence the understanding of the Psalm itself
• Structure - a brief exposition of the Psalm verse by verse
• Special notes - a breakdown of unfamiliar terms or ancient references that may be culturally unfamiliar

Last but not least, each Psalm has a brief reflection to summarize the message of the passage. Although each entry for each Psalm appears short and lacking on the page, the information is concise and accurate, providing ease of reading and appropriate information for studying one of the greatest treasure troves of Scripture, the Psalms.

I highly recommend you picking this book up, it is well worth having as a desk reference, coffee table book, or sitting on the reference section of your bookshelf.

I received this book from Zondervan in exchange for an unbiased book review.

Book Review: Following Jesus, the Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship by Jonathan Lunde

Following Jesus, the Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship by Jonathan Lunde came to me at an interesting time. Just as my interest in honoring the call of our Lord Jesus to radical discipleship has piqued, this book provided a much needed survey of the progression of the covenants in God's Holy Writ. The author takes on the task of demonstrating something the mainstream church has shown to be lacking for quite some time, a historical and practical demonstration of true obedience. The exemplary servitude of Jesus Christ comes as a focal point and example in which the author demonstrates is the filter in which all obedience to God's word must be understood. Jonathan Lunde takes a practical approach to this by cleverly and systematically approaching three questions,

• Why: Why should I be concerned to obey all of Jesus' commands if I have been saved by grace?
• What: What is it that Jesus demands of his disciples?
• How: How can the disciple obey Jesus' high demand, while experiencing his "yoke" as "light" and "easy"?

What I have enjoyed about this book is its repetitious nature. Many books cover key points and move on. Jonathan Lunde has done due diligence in emphasizing the recurrence of key points in each chapter, how it relates to the last, and how he will approach it in the next. All this comes in light of the application drawn by answering the Why, What, and How questions originally set forth in the beginning of this book. Because this book is a bit higher on the level of difficulty, the reminders are Lunde's points and purposes are extremely helpful. The benefits of this method along with the content of the book culminates the central focus on Christ's servant/King status and the call to discipleship. Whilst making no attempt to ultimately correlate the teaching of the law according to Christ and its relationship to the same course of doctrine in Paul, Lunde brings the two together well and spends just enough emphasis on the topic to show their ultimate reconciliation with each other in light of the covenants of God.

According to quite a few reviews previously written concerning this book, the author neglects much of the epistles and their teaching concerning discipleship if you will. Those who have pointed this out state that Paul and the other letters have appropriate content related to the premise of Covenantal Discipleship. I could not agree with their findings and have complete satisfaction in the supreme demonstration of discipleship according to thee supreme example, Jesus Christ. Everything else really is ancillary, Christ and his teaching should always come first, and the rest must follow in agreement, or be cast out. This does not say the epistles are not relevant, but it does demonstrate something I believe this book does well, revitalize a call to covenant discipleship through the Lord Jesus Christ and a call to obedience in him and his word. I did not have any expectations of this book, therefore there was not disappointment on this end.

Although an enjoyable read thus far, I have not been able to finish the final section. This review is only based on the progress I have made thus far and I hope at a later date to make an addendum to this review. I received this book from Zondervan in exchange for an unbiased view. I would highly recommend purchasing this book and giving it  a read!