How should church be done?

There are tons of models for churches. Which is the most effective and God honoring? That is the key question. I recently read an article by Francis Chan talking about church structure and practice. He believes there should be some changes. I believe his thoughts are a step in a good direction.


http://www.catalystspace.com/content/read/comfortable_substitute_chan

Used by God

I always surprised by the way God works.

Recently the power for our office went out. It was only for the upstairs office so most of us were able to continue working. After a bit, an electrician named Barry came to fix the problem. I found our later he was from eastern Europe and still spoke with a very thick accent, making everything he said that much more entertaining to listen to. While he was upstairs working, he struck up a conversation with one of the pastors at our church. I became aware of this conversation as it grew more intense as what was the dull murmur of a casual interchange evolved into a passionate debate. Sitting at my desk, I couldn't quite make out what they were discussing so I went upstairs to see what all the fuss was about (and to see if I could join in of course). As it turns out Barry and this pastor had very different ideas about what America should do regarding health care reform. As soon as I heard the topic, I retreated back down stairs before I had a chance to display my willful ignorance on the subject.

A few minutes later the noise of the conversation was over and the power restored to the upstairs. Both parties came down the stairs laughing and agreeing to disagree. (Which is usually both people laughing at the frustrating stalemate and apparent stupidity of the other person). Barry left and the pastor informed of the conversation and, of course, how wrong and crazy Barry was. This pastor really wasn't upset, but he was laughing and marveling at what had just happened. The part conversation breakdown that intrigued me the most was that Crazy Barry was a Christian. However, he was not committed to any particular church. He didn't like the institutionalized church or the having to commit to a local body. It became apparent to me that Crazy Barry had been hurt by the church and didn't want to risk being hurt or tied down by it again. He loved doing his job, and just being a Christian. Though I didn't totally agree with his position, I decided I liked Crazy Barry and would have enjoyed talking with him. I told the pastor this, and he laughed and said I was crazy too.

About twenty minutes later, the door opened and in came Crazy Barry the Electrician. He wanted to give his card to the pastor so they could talk again, and so Barry could convince him of his position. The pastor had left to run an errand and so me and a co-worker became his new captive audience. We talked for a bit and I kept trying to steer the conversation away from the evils of capitalism and the benefits of socialism to more important things like God and Christianity.

I don't remember much of the conversation. Barry really liked to talked, and wasn't really in the mood to do a lot of listening. So me and my friend sat and mostly listened to Barry talk about life and government and God. Much of it was emotionally charged rambling with various little statements about how people should live and what people should do for a living. There really wasn't much in the way extraordinary or memorable about topics he went over.

But as the conversation was winding down, it took a turn. Barry's face changed from someone who wanted to prove they were right, to being completely honest. He talked about how he knew he wasn't perfect and wishes he was less of a "prick" to people. He really had a desire for people to come to know God and follow what He wants them to do in life. Obviously he didn't have it all figured out, but he was honest about who he really was before a holy God and what the main purpose in life is. He said he was glad that God works through people who aren't perfect and even uses their imperfections to advance his kingdom.

Maybe Crazy Barry isn't so crazy after all.

God not only uses those who are listening to him, but also those who are trying to ignore him. God is bigger than our feeble attempts to derail his plans and desires. He is the one who is in control. Christians understand this and want to be used by God in accomplishing his will. But they are not the only one God uses. God uses people even when they are working against him. He will use anyone and everyone to display his power and bring people to him. Remember Pharaoh?

I wish I could say I was always willing to be used by Him, but the reality is that I'm not. I am selfish, prideful, arrogant... and the list goes on. I know that God works in spite of all this though. Jesus said that God is always at work. He is true when I am not. Faithful when I am not. Holy when I am not. But God chooses to work through me anyway. Even when don't get it.

Or, to put it in much simpler terms -

"God uses a**holes, and sometimes its your turn." - Barry the Electrician.

God works through my failures. Just because I did not respond in love to a person, does not mean God won't use that interaction to further his kingdom. He is bigger than our mistakes and works through all situations. We are all being used by God all the time. I pray that we all are being shaped more into the image of his Son so that we become partners with God, rather than reluctant participants.

i love philosophy

I love philosophy.

I have a hard time explaining why I love it so. I know that it has its limits and must always submit to scripture, but I love it all the same. It teaches me to think well about everything. It reveals my biases (of which there are many) and shows me the things that really matter (of which there are few). Ecclesiastes is the only book of pure philosophy in the Bible (and therefore the greatest one ever written - Peter Kreeft), and the conclusion of the author is that only God matters. All else is meaningless and vanity.

The best books I've read, and the most memorable lectures I have heard have been written or given by Christian philosophers. People who have devoted their lives to the pursuit of wisdom and truth, while knowing that all wisdom and truth is found in Christ. By and large the most influential philosopher in my life is Peter Kreeft. He is classically trained in philosophy (meaning he knows and reads people like Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and many others), but makes the big ideas accessible to common people. Apart from the Bible, his works continue to have the strongest influence on my spiritual life.

The most recent insight from him is in regards to Pascal's Wager. Many Christians are familiar with this philosophical argument. Either God exists or he doesn't. Either you live to please God or you don't. If God does not exist and you don't live you please him, you lose nothing. If God does not exist and you don't live to please, him, you gain nothing. However, if God does exist and you don't live for him, you lose infinitely. If God does exist and you do live for him, you gain infinitely. Until hearing a lecture by Kreeft on this topic, I had always assumed it was an argument for the existence of God that was somewhat weak. However, Kreeft points out that the purpose of this exercise is not to prove God's existence, but to show the reason man does not live to try and please God is because of his selfishness and passions. Any betting man knows the most logical choice, but men still choose otherwise. It is not logic guiding their rejection of God, but their passions and desires.

Boom. Roasted.

Like I said...

I love philosophy.

500 Days of Bummer (Spoiler Alert)

500 Days of Summer, did you like it? I don't know.

The simplest description of this movie is that it is true. Yes there is great cinematography and it is very artsy and entertaining, but more importantly it is true. It tells us about us, me about me. I love it for its truth: Love is messy. Its confusing and frustrating and exhausting. It is life's greatest joy and greatest pain. It is directly linked to the soul. It goes beyond something merely physical and emotional and touches our immaterial. This is where it gets difficult. Pascal says, “Nothing presented to the soul is simple, and the soul never applies itself simply to anything. That is why the same things make us laugh and cry.”

Our souls are not simple, they are broken. The closer we move to another soul, the clearer this becomes. What should be two puzzle pieces finding their fit becomes two jagged crystals tying to touch centers. There are strange protrusions and bizarre indentations which make it impossible for joining to be simple. The only way these two distorted souls can fit together is through breaking and changing. Both souls will make compromises in the pieces it will have to change in order to fit. It is a slow, painful process with the souls continually asking if all this pain is really worth it. They question whether souls can really fit together at all.

In this movie, there are two souls trying to fit together. One believes the broken pieces just fit perfectly with another broken soul, while the other thinks it impossible and stops moving closer at the first sign of trouble. It becomes an awkward dance. The optimistic soul simple moves forward with blind belief in their innate compatibility. He continually initiates contact and embrace, while the other continues to back away with the first touch. One is blind to the reality of the brokenness, the other to the need for true embrace.

This is love. An awkward dance of broken souls. There are moments of happiness and laughter, and others of sadness and tears. Peter Kreeft says,”Life is a tragic comedy”. Life is full of great happiness and sadness. 500 Days of Summer is a tragic comedy. 500 Days of Summer is true.

Not only is it true on a general level, it was true on personal level for me. I have been both partners in this dance. I've pursued and been rejected, but I have also felt the discomfort and walked away. The majority of my relationships have been the latter. I have had too high of standard and decided it just wasn't worth it. However, in some relationships the roles are traded back and forth. Today I'm sure of the future while she is hesitant, the next next day she wants to get married while I wrestle with my doubts. Watching 500 Days of Summer was like watching people go through all the pain I've experienced at different points in my relationships in two hours. Not the most enjoyable experience let me assure you. But I know I am not alone. If I were, a movie made by people who have never met me would not resonate so deeply. The path is well worn with new travelers everyday.

All that being said, I still don't know whether I liked the movie. A simple analysis of our situation is not enough to make me happy. I would not jump for joy when a doctor tells me I have an illness, “Cancer? Really? Thank you so much for telling me! Hooray! I have cancer!”. The mere diagnosis is not cause for joy. It brings relief by answer questions, but it does not give hope or bring lasting happiness. Hope only comes with a possible cure, and true joy only comes with an actual healing. 500 Days of Summer does not give the answer. It just kinda ends with a, "That's love. Sucks, huh?"

I can't dislike this movie because it is true, but I don't like the truth it tells. The truth is love is messy only because of sin. Yes, the morality of the relationship in 500 Days of Summer was not Christian by any means, but that is not what I"m getting at. The reason love is hard and painful is because sin has ruined everything. I'll say that again, sin has ruined everything. It has marred something God originally called "very good". The reason our souls look like a Picasso painting in a blender is because sin has made us the most selfish and sinful creatures imaginable. As a result, all of our interactions have traces of our souls in them. We get glimpses of how messed up we really are and this makes me sad. It makes me mourn over the state of our existence and wish all could find the hope that is in Jesus. God never meant for men and women to go through so much pain. His beautiful creation has been broken. That's why I left feeling depressed and not encouraged.

500 Days of Summer tells us how it is. But more importantly, it tells us how it shouldn't be.

It starts...

I've always thought blogs were hit and miss. Some enrich your life (Ben Witherington III), others are proof of the Fall (Perez Hilton), and then there are millions of others which contribute to the ever growing pool of ignorance that is the blogosphere. Not wanting to add to the pool or be another piece of evidence, up to this point I had decided not to blog.

However, after the prodding of some of my friends (you know who you are), I have chosen to try it. I'm sure there will be entries where I fall into the categories of ignorance, foolishness, and even sin in the words I write, but hopefully there will be times when I scratch the surface of the profound or enrich someone's life in a small way.

I am not writing simply for other people though. Since pride is such an easy sin to fall into and vanity is the game we all play, I had to ask myself some hard questions.

• Would you still write if no one ever read this?
• Are you only doing this to be thought insightful, funny, or profound by other people?
• Are you looking for validation in praise from others you should be finding in Christ?"

The only way I could justify a blog is if I am writing to glorify the only person who deserves it. If people are not lead to love God and people more through these simple musings, then they will cease.


What this will not be.

1)My day planner - Some people believe that there life is so interesting, unique and exciting that each day deserves an entry all its own filled with random details about the day. I am under no such delusions. My days are not that interesting and the typical comings and goings of my daily routine don't need to be retold every night.

2) My prayer journal - I hope to avoid using this space as a place to get my anger, depression, or sadness out into the open. While I am sure the things I am thinking and feeling will influence my writing I do not want this blog to be a barometer of my spiritual and emotional well being. Things I am struggling through I will discuss with God and the people closest to me, not just anyone who happens across this page.

3) Super serious - I am not only serious, so neither with this blog be. I like thinking about the effects of the Fall and the historicity of the Resurrection, but I also love watching Donald Duck get a plunger stuck to his head. If I can do both at the same time, all the better.

4) A list of apologies - I will not say sorry for not posting more or make a blog entry about how there is nothing to write about.

5) Absolutely Amazing - As I have said, I don't consider myself to be the world's most interesting man (who apparently plays jai alai and drinks Dos Equis, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2SSZA0CjdQ) and have never done much writing. As a result, the quality of this blog will be affected. So don't get you hopes up.

These are just some of the thoughts that came to mind when I decided to create a blog. Hopefully it will be a fruitful endeavor. So this is the first entry. It might be the only entry, but hey, life goes on. Here's to another hit and miss blog. And to all you who encouraged me to do this, just remember, you created this monster. :)

-t