Mecca

Mecca
This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a Hillsong United Concert in Chicago. I was really, very excited about it. I filled my oversized conversion van with gas and people and embarked on the four hour quest with the purpose of seeing the band that is generally regarded as the best worship leader in the world. We arrived at the concert and waited in line for hours before the concert began, we managed to secure a place only a few feet from the stage…the wait and drive were worth it and the concert was amazing. No regrets!
But, in the midst of the incredible worship and great opportunity to spend time with my friends in an activity which excited us, I noticed something that still makes me sick to my stomach. Because this concert was such a big deal, there were nearly ten thousand Christians gathered together in one place. That should have been a big deal, I mini-preview of heaven. We should have been embracing each other and celebrating the fact that we get to spend eternity together.
Sadly, I did not feel like that was the case at all. The various church groups that attended were very segregated. No one was friendly, and worse than that…people were actually yelling at one-another for taking up to much space or for pushing in front of them to get to the stage-at a worship concert. Honestly one would not have known that the group gathered in the Sears Center was any different than any other collection of people until the band came on. The truth is minus some swear words, and plus a few pairs of Tom’s shoes, we were just like the rest of the culture. We like our Coach Purses, we drive nice cars, and we spend five dollars for a glass of lemonade at a worship concert when children are starving to death all over the world.
I still do not know where to go with this or what to do with it. All that I am certain of is the fact that Christians should look different from the world around us…our community should shake the very foundations of the earth. As I contemplate social justice, and the value of acting like a child of God, I feel so challenged by what I saw. The body of Christ needs to act like it…I do not have a clue of how to challenge the church of America to look like a church, but I do know how to act like a Christian…and that is where I have to start. I have to embrace community, and I have to stop acting like my life is more important than those of millions of broken and suffering people around the world…who’s with me?

2 Kings 7-9

As I have said before, Bones is absolutely my favorite show. I look forward to watching it every week, and often find myself mentally joining in with one of my Residents, Caitlin Myers, as she screams (football game style) at the characters when they make extremely good or extremely bad decisions (as in the one-hundredth episode).

I continue to love the show for many reasons, cute guys and romantic plots being considerable factors. Despite the show’s interpersonal offerings, there is also the yucky dead body stuff (I tend to cover my eyes at this point and remind myself that “it’s only latex”).

The whole, disgusting death part of the show is a major turn off for me, but it does remind me of something that I really do not want to forget…

Tonight in 2 kings 30-37 I read about Jezebel’s death. Now, I don’t know if you have heard about Jezebel. If you would like an accurate picture of her imagine all of the nasty words used to describe a woman and imagine the woman who could truly lay claim to all of those titles….there is Jezebel. She was the kind of person who would and could plow over anyone who stood between her and the things she wanted.

Well…in tonight’s story she was thrown off of a balcony and killed. Dogs ate her body, and only a few of her bones could be found and buried.

Where am I going with this…

Despite all of the terrible things that jezebel did with her life, she died. Within a bit of time no physical evidence of her humanity remained. She stepped into eternity and her body was no longer honored or used.

Both Bones and Jezebel constantly remind me that we are truly made of dust…a day comes when very little will be left behind. No matter who we are or what we do…one day our bodies turn back to dust and walk into eternity. No amount of anything can stop that.

Remember to live well, because your days are truly numbered.

2 Kings 6, Open My Eyes

Dear Reader,

What I am writing tonight does not feel like it applies to my life at all at the moment. Today is the kind of day that was delightful. It was the type of day where I could probably have forgotten that my very breath depends on God.

Sometimes, when life is good, it can be easy to forget that God has carried us to freedom. The reason for our happiness was his rescue. So tonight, I want you to open your mind up to a time in your life when you felt surrounded, terrified, and beaten up.

Even though, I do not feel that way right now, I know that I definitely have in the past and will, likely, again in the future.

The story of the night is about Elisha again...

In this story, Elisha was in danger because a foreign king had heard of his connection with God and of his ability to assist the Israelites in achieving victory (some of what the king had heard was legend rather than fact). So, the king sent an entire army to go and capture Elisha. So picture this…Elisha and his servant are standing in the midst of an undefended city that is surrounded by foreign soldiers.

Elisha is completely calm,

His servant is not…I am guessing that he completely freaked out here…I would have.

This is Elisha’s response to his servant’s panic…

"Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."

¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

This is so cool,

The entire time that the servant was stressing out, he was completely safe, because he was surrounded by God’s protection.

The application for us is this…

When life is terrifying, remember that you are not alone.

Remember that God is already fighting for you.

I feel challenged to pray that God will open my eyes to the protection and rescue that he has already given me, rather than constantly asking him to re-do what he has already done.

2 kings 5, I'm back baby

My dear reader,

I must apologize, once again, for my complete lack of posts over the past month. It all began with my complete horror over my crippled keyboard (you would be shocked by the number of words that contain the letter a) and it developed into a broken habit and the end of something that was probably good. So, I am going to try again.

I think that you should also be warned…over the past few months I have been learning the blessings and curses of routine in spiritual things.

The routine can be the tie that holds us to faithfulness, or it can be the switch that moves us from worship to activity. I have troubles with walking that line.

There will be times that you will not hear from me because continuing to post may prevent my private walk from being what it could be.

So bear with me…and let’s see where this can go.

The point that I want to make tonight is simple: God has not called us to critique his commands, he has simply asked us for a “yes Lord” and a response.

The true is, God’s commands will probable seem absolutely ludicrous at one point or another in the case of our story tonight, I am quite sure that it did…

Here is the sparknotes version…

An army commander named Naaman came down with leprosy…yuck.

He heard that the prophet Elisha might be able to help him to receive healing from God…cool

He gathered up lots of valuables with the intention of paying for healing…

The prophet Elisha did not ask for money, he simply said…

"Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."

So…basically, Elisha just told Naaman to go and take a really good bath with the hopes of using that to cure a disease…

Naaman was insulted by this command and had to be convinced to follow it by a servant who said…

"My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!"

so, Naaman took his bath…and he was healed.

Naaman was looking for something big and exciting, but God simply wanted him to follow something simple and a bit strange.

The really cool thing about our God is the fact that he knows what he is doing…even when his plan seems ridiculous.