Freeform Poem I: Self Identity

This is a piece of art written by a student in my student ministries who has an obvious heart for God's Kingdom to be present in the world around him. I thought I'd share:

finding within us a personal, resolved individual

free from binding

free from fetter

free from allegiance

that individual is to be our identity

our new self

us reborn

each separate and perfect and free and flowing without constraint in the wind now blowing

God made liberty and life

He caused each even to unravel

These deceptions of popularity

of depression

of materialism

of capitalism

of war machines

are nothing but smoke in our eyes

To live in Christ is to be free and live with liberty

to have peace and resound with His love

meed attitude

sweet servitude

submission to the ONE TRUE GOD

to join THE BODY

to be part of something large, immense,

indescribable by ideas, by words, by voice, by picture

God works in mysterious ways

we work as we were made

liberty is not be wasted

liberty is given not

for

television

movies

feasting

sleeping

video games

sports games

mall trips

margarita sips

liberty is given to us

so that we

may present it to

the one

and only

God.

Why Discipline Matters

Disciples of Jesus must practice spiritual discipline. Spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, fasting, and solitude when practiced, do not make us grow spiritually, contrary to popular belief. They're role, however, when practiced is to simply open more doors and avenues for God to start working on our hearts and let God work with us to help us grow. Disciplines do not transform us - God does. Richard Foster wrote in his classic work The Celebration of Discipline that "God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving grace. The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that he can transform us... Spiritual Disciplines can do nothing; they can only get us to the place where something can be done" (7).

Working in ministry, I see too often people who get disillusioned with Church, because they admittedly aren't "getting anything out of it" or aren't finding feelings they used to associate with certain programs, people, or groups of people.

I understand where they are coming from here for sure. But there are obviously major flaws with this kind of association with and expectation of Church.

I believe that spiritual disciplines are the key to the drought of spiritual connection that people are attempting to quench in their lives. This is a difficult subject for many people to understand because spiritual disciplines are a far cry from depending on preachers, programs, and worship leaders to deliver some sort of spiritual euphoria to the people.

Most Christians with any association with the church in their life, no matter how strong or tattered that association is, know the spiritual disciplines (whether they know they know is a different story). However, I believe that disciplines don't get practiced for several reasons:

1) For some Christians, early in their spiritual development, it can be difficult to practice the disciplines and sometimes even more difficult to understand why. If this is you, you should embrace where you are spiritually. Yes, passionately crave the things that are of God and from God, but also embrace where you are in your journey.

Lord, forgive us for ever believing that following you with all we are is not enough. Help us to understand the journey and embrace where you would have us presently reside.

2) Many Christians know them and may practice them at church, but do not place any importance upon them in their lives because, well, simply, they're too apathetic about it to take the time to understand why it matters.

Lord please rid us of apathy, and ignite within us a passion for all things You.

3) Others place a very high importance on disciplines, but in the business of their lives have trouble actually practicing them regularly. Admittedly, I would fall into this category off and on, and unfortunately even though I can admit this, I know I will fall into this again and again.

Lord help us to repent from giving our schedules the status of idol.

4) Some Christians know that spiritual disciplines are important for other people to practice, but they don't see the importance for themselves. I think if many of us are honest, we could find times in our lives where this is us. This is a form of spiritual narcissism, where we are subconsciously convinced that we are simply blessed to be more spiritual or religious than those around us.

Lord help us to not be like the Sadducees.

5) Lastly, I think many evangelical protestants believe that practicing spiritual disciplines are attempting to do "works" and not rely on "faith alone". Unfortunately for people who hold this view, they have a distorted idea of the purpose of spiritual disciplines. They believe that when people practice spiritual disciplines, they are trying to force growth through their own actions - that they are acting just like the Pharisees. This is a common misunderstanding of spiritual disciplines and in fairness, falling into this trap is surely a danger that comes with practicing the disciplines. But, as we discussed in the last blog post, misunderstandings and possible misuse of things associated with Christianity does not render such things irrelevant, unimportant, or wrong.

Lord let us see the good in what you have said is good: restore in us a true understanding of how we seek you and your will.

Disciple translates to student. Students must put in time and effort, especially if they are to teach as well. Disciples practice the disciplines.

I would love to discuss these ideas further, especially if you think I have done the subject injustice. Feel free to contact me at becomingthelast@gmail.com!

Thoughts on Discipleship - Repentance

I am going to start a series of posts on issues prevalent in my own mind regarding discipleship, with this post being the first.

There is no better place to start this discussion than with Jesus' first words coming out of the wilderness: "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news'" (Mark 1.14-15 NRSV).

Repentance has become a word and concept that I believe many Christians try to avoid these days. I've been there too. I remember several times being on campus when fundamentalist evangelicals would stand in the most populated areas of campus and hold up signs that simply said things like "REPENT OR PERISH" in a dark red paint. Through my observations (this was extremely interesting and entertaining to a Religious Studies student) the students responded in this way:

10% - had religious affiliations other than Christian and depending on how long they've been in America - probably thought the attempt at proselytizing through fear was a bit odd.

70% - laughed awkwardly until they realized this is why they gave up on religion in the first place.

15% - felt a mix of fear and intrigue (mostly freshman who probably grew up in a protestant church attending at least every Christmas and Easter), until they saw they other 70% laughing, then began to feel at ease with the masses and laughed as well.

5% - felt convicted to argue with the evangelizers (which always turned out with unnecessary yelling and regretful tears).

Anyways, I understand why to my generation the word "repent" can often leave a bad taste in our mouths. This proclamation of Jesus has been misused and abused all too often.

But does this mean we ignore the call to repent?

Unfortunately I know that for many the answer is yes. I am finding more and more that those who identify themselves as Christians today, despite bad experiences with church and religion in the past, do not believe that Jesus' call to repent important. I believe this is because what has brought us back to Christ over and over again despite all of the pain, hypocrisy, and judgment that the church can invoke is a radical approach towards grace. But if we are to be followers, we must take all of Jesus seriously and not just the parts that we fit nicely into our grace filled theologies (a healthy approach to repentance should fit!).

To repent means to turn around, or change your mind (which will hopefully in turn then lead to your actions being changed as well). This verse tells us there's more here though: Because the Kingdom of God is at hand and is ready to be entered into here and now, to follow Jesus and commit to living our lives for and with God's will (Kingdom of God = will of God) we must understand what his good news is for our lives and for the world at large. If believe in that message, then we now turn around and change the parts of our lives (starting with our thinking) that are in conflict with God's will and Jesus' good news.

Let us then be Christians that embrace the entire message of Jesus. This means the easy parts and the difficult parts. The parts that we think matter and parts that we think don't. The parts that make us feel loved beyond all measure and the parts that require us to respond to that love. Let us turn around, embrace forgiveness, not ever get bogged down in guilt, and keep pressing towards the goal of living in God's Kingdom here and now.

God's Kingdom is here, working and moving, and you are able to be a part of it and you don't have to be perfect to enter in.

I love what the band Psalters have to say about this journey on their myspace page - I think its the most beautiful representation of what it means to live in Jesus' message of God's Kingdom:

We are on the road after our First Love, the refugee King....for whom we pledge our only allegiance. It's not only us...we're just the banner wavers of a little army out here just beyond your city walls. You can come along if you're a miserable wretch....but unfortunately there is not enough room for the generally good people. Don't fret. You wouldn't like this road....it's dirty (and greasy). I must tell you this much however.........i can't see much of anything behind those gates of yours and there is not much of a breeze to feel....out here it hurts....outside the gates .........but i can feel and i can see ... a little better. outside there is a Pillar of Fire.

The genuine disciple lives and breathes repentance and forgiveness. Its never safe and always will hurt to daily regurgitate the darkness and emptiness that is constantly pervading our lives. But if you do, you'll see a bit more clearly who you truly are and where your life fits in God's universe.

Repent, and believe the good news.