The Advocate

In yesterday’s post I included a prayer, part of which read: “Father...forgive me for setting myself up as Judge, rather than seeing myself as one in need of a good Defense Attorney. Amen."

In need of a good Defense Attorney; that’s me. That’s you, too. That’s all of us as we stand before a Holy God.

The ancient scriptures tell us "we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another."
Romans 14:10-13 (NIV)

I picture the scene, God sitting as Judge, the Prosecutor, bringing up every bad thought and wicked deed we’ve ever committed; or good deed we could have done, but failed to do.

Many of the ancients believe in an Enemy (the devil, Satan) and the Bible describes him as "the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night..."
Revelation 12:10 (NIV)

There we sit: guilty, scared, hopeless. And then, in walks our Defense Attorney, the Judge’s son, Jesus.

"My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate, one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One; and He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2

That is amazing! Even if we are found "guilty as charged", our Defense Attorney has already served our sentence, paying the price for our sins, and not only for "christians", for for the sins of the whole world!!

The word 'gospel' means "Good News". I am convinced that the Christian message of forgiveness and reconciliation is Good News for everyone, not just Christians.

In Isaiah 44:22, God declares, "Return to me, for I have paid the price for your freedom. Come on home, you are already forgiven!" That is good news indeed!

Turning the Tables

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you... Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit."
Matthew 21:31, 43 (NIV)

I have found during 25 years of ministry that the church, like the Pharisees in the New Testament, often falls into the trap of judging who's in and who's out. The words of Jesus should be unsettling for those who consider themselves "religious".

Who are the "tax collectors and prostitutes" of our day? Who are the outsiders, the ones the religious elite judge as having no chance of being part of the kingdom as they are?

"The kingdom", says Jesus, "will be given to those who produde its fruit". Those who indicate that the Spirit of God is with them and within them by producing "the Fruit of the Spirit": love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. (Galatians 5)

Some modern-day Pharisees quote passages that indicate they are the gatekeeper to the kingdom, determining who is qualified, or not, to enter into it. Jesus had a way, and still does, of sending to the end of the line those who promote themselves as the arbiters of grace.

I often hear Christians dodge the charge of being judgmental by saying, "I not judging, I'm just inspecting fruit." Perhaps it's past time for the church to focus more on fruit production and less on fruit inspection--or stick to inspecting our own fruit and not that of our neighbor.

Father, as one who has received grace and mercy, help me not to withhold from others. Forgive me for setting myself up as Judge, rather than seeing myself as one in need of a good Defense Attorney. Amen.

Unraveling

Some have noticed that this blog site has been uncharacteristically silent for the past two and a half weeks (BTW, thanks for checking on me, B.D.). I've been in kind of a funk emotionally, and swamped with demands on my time, but who's not these days?

I have had time to get informed about Christian Nudists, as our friends over at Mr. Beale's Epiphany hosted a lively and informative discussion a couple of weeks ago. I'm not a convert, but had never heard of this before and find the whole "movement" interesting. I uncovered a new segment of the Christian sub-culture in America that I heretofore never knew existed.

My biggest problem is I've been reading Brian Mclaren again, which is always a dangerous endeavor for me. Things are beginning to unravel, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I blame my friend Tom. He warned me it would happen if I kept chasing some of my thoughts and ideas to their logical conclusions.

I guess for the past several month I've been going through a(nother) mid-life crisis. A new crisis of faith, or sorts. Or just the continuation of one that's been going on for the past twenty-seven years. I've been disastrous with relationships (which is not a good thing for a pastor), too frequently silent and/or absent during much of the past ten months.

Questioning everything. Sifting. Holding on the old treasures and tossing aside things proven to be no longer useful. Some "truths" lose their luster as time goes on. Real truth become more precious with the passing of time. When we do something for a long time we delude ourselves into thinking that's the only (or best) way to do it.

My blog on October 1, "The Glory of the Longing Heart" quotes the lyrics of a song by John Fischer. That is an apt description of where I've been most of 2007, but sometimes it feels far less than "glorious". I've been undertaking an outward makeover since my birthday, more out of necessity (make changes or die, literally) than vanity. All the while God has been undertaking an inward makeover of sorts. Destroying old assumptions and long-held, but misguided, "certainties."

Lately I have found spiritual resonance with King David of Israel who lived nearly 3,000 years ago:

"I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live." Psalms 116:1-2 (NIV)

I like to pray it back to God in present tense: "I love you, Lord, for You hear my voice; You hear my cry for mercy. Because You turn Your ear to me, I will call on You as long as I live." Amen.

The Glory of the Longing Heart

Once again, our friend John Fischer left a "Catch of the Day" in the FISCHTANK that is worth repeating:

"I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of human beings; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11).

It is part of the supreme wisdom of God that he made us and put us here on earth to “seek him, and perhaps find him, though he is not far from any one of us, for in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:27-28 (NIV)

In light of what it takes to find the truth, a longing heart is our most prized possession. And it is important to realize that seeking isn't over once you find. In truth it has only just begun.

The Longing Heart
O the glory of the longing heart
O the aching of the wind
The groping fingers straining in the dark
To know what lies beyond the end.
Eternity is trapped in time
Beauty tarnished by the beast
Hope expires at the finish line
Where the universe is creased.

State the answer; don the uniform
Throw conclusions at the soul
Cash the question; kill the unicorn
Press neatly at the fold.
But still it opens at the budding rose
Still it wonders at the child
Still it knows what it refused to know
Who makes wild horses wild?

O the glory of the longing heart
Casting questions to the wind
Let it carry the soul searching far
Let it bring it back again.
But not so far that it will lose its way
Not so near that it will scorn
Near enough to give itself away
Far enough to know it's torn.

So give the longing heart room to roam
Let the truthful seeker speak
For in the seeking it will find its home
And in the finding it will seek.
O the glory of the longing heart
O the aching of the wind.

Preposterously Good News

I'd like to share a post from one of my favorite authors, John Fischer.
You can see more of his writings or subscribe to his "Catch of the Day" at The Fischtank.

I have some really good news for everyone today, but it's not just good news; it's preposterously Good News. I found it as I was reading in Isaiah this morning.

"I, the Lord, made you, and will not forget to help you. I have swept away your sins like the morning mists. I have scattered your offenses like the clouds. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free." (Isaiah 44:21-22)

Here it is: God forgave us first; then He invites us home. It could just as easily have been: Return to me and I will forgive your sins. That would have been remarkable enough. But instead, it's: Come home because you've already been forgiven.

This was precisely the case for the prodigal son. He was forgiven before he ever reached the front driveway. That's why his old man was running to meet him. There was no discussion. No lesson. No: "I hope you learned your lesson." He needn't even ask for forgiveness, for it had already been granted.

This is our message to the world: You have already been forgiven, so come home. Christ has already paid the price to set you free. He has removed the barrier between God and us. How can anyone resist so great a love? No wonder Paul calls it Good News. Can you imagine anything better when it comes to God and our sin?

We know we are guilty. Our consciences tell us that. We know the demands of the law. We have the commandments for that, and we aren't doing very well by them. We know that if we mess up in just one thing, we are charged with breaking the whole law. God does not grade on the curve. Instead, He offers us a blanket pardon -- the only thing that could ever save us.

"Oh, return to me, for I have [already] paid the price to set you free."

Icon of God

On my computer desktop are little "icons". If I want to access a particular program I double click on the icon. But how does a person access God? The Bible gives us the answer:

He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Colossians 1:15-18 (NIV)

The above passage was written by the Apostle Paul about Jesus Christ (Messiah). He wrote that "Jesus is the image of the invisible God." Paul wrote in the Greek language. The word translated "image" in English is the Greek word "icon".

Jesus is the ICON of the invisible God. The message of the New Testament is, "If you want to access God you go through Jesus."

People often wonder if there is a god, and if so what is this god like. Some people and cultures believe in many gods. What is true in our time, was true in the time of Jesus. People believed in different gods. People of the same faith tradition argued about what God was like. There has always been much confusion and disagreement.

Jesus came to clarify once and for all what God was like and how to relate to Him. Jesus said, "If you've seen me you've seen the Father." He told us that a soul-satisfying kind of life ("eternal life" He called it--not just quantity life without end, but quality life with purpose and joy) comes from knowing God.

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (words of Jesus as recorded in John 17:3)

Jesus is the ICON of the invisible God. If you are searching to connect with God I believe the fulfillment of your search is found in the person of Jesus. Not the Jesus portrayed by the movies, most TV evangelists, or popular ficticious novels, but Jesus as revealed in the Gospel accounts of the New Testament.

Jesus was, and still is, revolutionary. "This man is not just another revolutionary, he is calling for a revolutionary new sort of revolution." (Brian McLaren, "The Secret Message of Jesus", p. 16)

His radical message and lifestyle have been distorted by culture and the church. Personally, I tried many pathways "up the mountain" to encounter God. Different relgions and philosphies, for me, all resulted in dead ends, short of my goal.

Then I discovered that Jesus had cut a path down the mountain to show me what God is really like! Jesus came so we could restore relationship with our Creator. "God was in Jesus, reconciling the world to himself, not counting men's sins against them..." (2 Corinthians 5:19)
I pray you will give the Gospels a fresh reading and discover the real Jesus, the icon of the invisible God.

~ Father, thank you for sending Jesus to show me who you are and how to have a relationship with you. Amen.

Lifestyle Makeover: Day 100

On June 10, Father's Day, I had to come to grips with reality. Physically a mess, due to neglect and a sedentary lifestyle, the wake call came when I threw out my back.

Nearing my 46th birthday, carrying nearly 270 pounds on a 5 foot, 11 inch frame, no exercise and a fast food diet; it was a toxic combination which was taking a deadly toll.

Today, September 18th, day 100 of a new lifestyle, the scales this morning read 221 pounds--nearly 50 pounds shed in 100 days! The blood pressure has dropped from 180 over 100, to 110 over 70.

Four Key Factors are helping to make the difference:

1. Prayer: for me, the poor diet and deteriorating health was not just a physical issue, but spiritual and emotional as well. I had to get in touch with what made me anxious and full of stress, what triggered my heading to the fridge or snack box. I am learning how to find comfort from God and not Little Debbie.

2. The Food Choices Completely Changed: "if it's white, don't bite", was the advice of another of my doctor's patients. In place of things made with flour and sugar; fresh fruits, high protein and low carbohydrate items became the order of the day. Water replaced sodas. The advice to "feast like a king at breakfast, dine like a queen at lunch, and eat like a pauper at suppertime" became very helpful. There is no deprivation, meals are filling, nutritious and delicious. Cutting off all food and drink 2-3 hours before bedtime is becoming a new habit. I am learning to eat the right amount of the right thing at the right time.

3. Food and Exercise Journal: I write down everything I eat and drink every single day, along with time and distance walked. I am learning where the "weak spots" are in my daily routine, changing the patterns at the points of weakness.

4. Walking: only able to go about half a mile at the beginning, now the rountine is 4 to 5 miles before breakfast every morning, not increasing the distance, but trying to shorten the time each day. These pre-dawn excursions are also the best time to focus on the first factor, prayer. At the end of the walk my mind is clear and focused, new ideas and insights have often been birthed, and the "furnace" is ready to burn up the calories with which I fuel my body. I am learning to take care of my body, mind and spirit in new and invigorating ways.

Nothing tastes as good as feeling good feels!

As my friend Brian says, "I'm not together, but I'm getting there"; with God's help, and my wife's encouragement, I'm getting there.

Second Chances

"It's not every day that you find someone who will give you a second chance--much less someone who will give you a second chance every day."
(From "No Wonder They Call Him the Savior" by pastor and author Max Lucado)

Grace. Mercy from God, unearned and unearnable, undeserved. Lavish love, just because.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

~ Father, help me to be mindful of, and grateful for, your grace. Help me to not only be a partaker of your grace, but a proclaimer of your grace; extending kindness and mercy to others as I have received it from you. Amen.

Infidels?

I’ve been thinking about the word “infidel” lately. I’ve heard it frequently on TV this week, remembering 9/11 and hearing newscasters talk about terrorism. There are those who would say that anyone who doesn’t follow their religion is an “infidel”.

Infidel stems from the word “infidelity” which is unfaithfulness, disloyalty, betrayal. The infidel is the one who breaks a contract or who breaks covenant. The married partner who commits adultery is an infidel. The person who makes a promise and doesn't keep it is an infidel. The business partner who secretly embezzles funds is an infidel. A person who doesn’t follow a particular religion, to which he or she never made a commitment, is NOT an infidel.

You can’t hold someone to the terms of a contract that they never entered into. So the problem is when people, especially religious people, impose the terms of their covenant with their god on everyone else. The ones who made the commitment are expected to keep it, not those who never agreed to be in that relationship in the first place. So the infidel is the one who is unfaithful to a contract or relationship that THEY entered into.

I’ve also heard a lot of talk this week about “Islamic fundamentalist”. I don’t have a problem with fundamentalists; Muslim, Evangelical Christian, Atheist or otherwise. I have a problem with terrorists (whether they be Muslim, Evangelical Christian or some other group) who use fear-based tactics to silence anyone who disagrees with them, their "enemies."

A “fundamentalist” means one holds to the fundamentals, or core teachings, of their particular belief system (and yes, Atheism has core beliefs, too). I would like to see us quit using the word "fundamentalist" as a derogatory title, no matter which group we are using it to describe. There is nothing wrong with holding the the fundamentals on one's faith, as long as those who hold to the tenets of that religion do not harm others or force their religious covenant on others against their will.

Fidelity, faithfulness, keeping covenant--all the same thing, and born in the heart of God:

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." (Deuteronomy 7:9, NIV)

The problem is, no matter how sincere our intentions, we are all unfaithful at some point. We mess up. We are inconsistent. We miss the mark. The good news of Jesus is that even though we are all "indidels" on occasion God offers hope:

"If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." (2 Timothy 2:13, NIV)

God is no infidel. He is never unfaithful. He never goes back on His word. He never breaks a promise. One thing He has promised is to forgive those who are heartbroken over their sins and turn to Him in genuine repentance:

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." (1 John 1:8-10, NIV)

That's the good news about Jesus:
"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them." (2 Corinthians 5:19, NIV)

Everyone on the planet is an infidel, because all of us at some point have been less than perfect, have been unfaithful to One who created us. The good news is that there is hope for all we infidels, hope of having the relationship with our Creator restored, hope of being reconciled to the One who loves us.

~ Father, forgive my unfaithfulness to you. Empower me to be faithful to you as you have been faithful to me. Help me to love my neighbor in such a way that they may come to know and love you, too. Amen.

Civilly Disobedient Pharmacists

Pharmacists in Washington State are suing that state over a new regulation that requires them to sell emergency contraception, also known as the “morning-after pill." The state ruled earlier this year that druggists who believe emergency contraceptives are tantamount to abortion cannot stand in the way of a patient's right to the drugs.

Sold as “Plan B”, emergency contraception is a high dose of the drug found in many regular birth-control pills. It can lower the risk of pregnancy by as much as 89 percent if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. The FDA made the morning-after pill available without prescription to adults last year.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court, a pharmacy owner and two pharmacists say the new rule violates their civil rights by forcing them into choosing between "their livelihoods and their deeply held religious and moral beliefs."

Under the new state rule, pharmacists with personal objections to a drug can opt out by getting a co-worker to fill an order. But that applies only if the patient is able to get the prescription in the same pharmacy visit. Doctors do not have to perform abortions if that violates their personal ethics or moral conscience, and pharmacists are seeking to have the same latitude.

Opponents argue that health care providers should not be allowed to withhold legal treatments and medications based on their own moral beliefs, but must serve the needs of the patients.

At the heart of the debate is the question of when life begins. The pill prevents the fertilized egg from being implanted. For those who believe life begins at fertilization, they wee the pill's effect as ending an innocent life.

Does life begin at conception? Even some who would affirm that it does, say that conception occurs not when the egg in fertilized, but when the fertilized egg is implanted, and see no problem with the pill.

I am not sure what the penalty is for the pharmacists who deny to fill such a prescription; whether it is a fine, loss of license, or imprisonment. It the courts uphold the regulation and force pharmacists to comply, it will be interesting to see how many will risk their careers by exercising a little civil disobedience by fefusing to comply with a law they feel is unjust.

It will be interesting to see what happens if pharmacist exercise their "freedom of choice" in keeping with their own religious convictions. Keep your eyes on this case: I believe the court's ruling will impact "abortion rights" and "religious liberty" cases for years to come.

What do you think? I'd be interested in hearing your comments.

Mother Teresa: Doubt and Faithfulness

News that Mother Teresa suffered a 40-year-long crisis of faith during which she sometimes doubted even the existence of God made the headlines this week and sparked a great deal of discussion. While her honesty about her questions and at times less-than-desirable prayer life have been known for several years now, her spiritual life was put back in the news with the release of a new book entitled 'Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light', containing 40 of her letters and edited by Fr Brian Kolodiejchuk, a close friend.

At one point Mother Teresa writes: "I am told God loves me, and yet the reality of the darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul. I have no faith. I dare not utter the words and thoughts that crowd in my heart."

Although atheists were having a field day with this recent publication of Mother Teresa’s letters, for most believers it is not news. As shown in an excellent article by David Quinn, what these letters explode is not faith, but "the myth that she was a woman of simple faith. Her faith was anything but simple, much less simple-minded."

We all have doubts and questions, even the heroes of the faith, past and present, had doubts-–Moses, David, The Aposle Peter, the Apostle Paul, Billy Graham. Faith is not the absence of doubt or questions. Faith is trusting God even though we don’t have all the answers to our questions, and even though we stuggle with doubt from time to time.

A couple of quotes from Quinn’s article are especially noteworthy:
“Some of the biggest-hitting atheists of the last few decades, intellectual heavyweights several classes above a Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens, among them AJ Ayer and Anthony Flew, came in later life to doubt aspects of their non-belief.”

Quinn concludes his article with this statement:
“Should we think more or less of Mother Teresa now that we know what we know about her inner spiritual life? Probably more. Her essential goodness is not in the least diminished by these letters…In fact, these letters should recommend her to an age that celebrates religious doubt, and actively encourages it. She is, and will remain, a saint to Catholics. But her inner doubts should now endear her more to an age plagued by doubt. If she can doubt, but still believe, it gives believers permission to have doubts, and doubters permission to have beliefs.”

We’re all a mix of doubter and believer, sinner and saint. The problem is when people fake it--believers masquerade as saints who have no doubts or sin, or skeptics who pretend like they don’t flirt with faith, privately wondering in the deepest part of their being if there might really be a God.

After the ressurection of Jesus we are told in Matthew's Gospel that "the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:16-20, NIV)

Worshipper, doubter, witness, teacher, missionary--Mother Teresa was all of these, just like the first disciples, and just like many disciples of Jesus today. That fact that she struggled with her faith on occasion is no big deal, the fact that she kept the faith and lived it out is a very big deal. She touched millions of lives and will do so for generations to come.

~ Father, help me to see that the goal is not to be perfect, but to be faithful. Help me to be a consistent witness of your love and mercy. Amen.

Permission to Pray

For Buddhist monks in Virginia Beach, government permission is needed to pray in their own home. And that permission was granted...for one year. Jason Marks, of Norfolk's NBC affiliate, filed the report on last night's City Council meeting.

Some neighbors argued that the monks' home sits on land zoned for residential use, and the house should not be used to hold worship services. While residents voiced their concerns, members who attend services say not allowing them to pray would be a violation of their rights.

Last year the monks moved to the area and began to hold their services. They wanted to build a temple on the land instead of using the home. Instead city council sent the message that there will be no temple and the praying must stop by next year.

The monks wanted to pray for three hours on Sundays and a few holidays during the year. In the end, the city council decided to grant a one year permit for the monks, but only to give them time to find a new building for worship. Neighbors say that's a fair deal. "I feel that a vote against this is a vote against freedom, which is what our nation was built on," said Samantha Neizgoba, one of the worshippers.

The noise would not be an issue, as the monks don't engage in communal singing, but in quiet meditation. Folks who live nearby say the Sunday prayer services would cause unnecessary traffic. "First five cars," said neighbor Dan Franken."Then ten. Twenty. Thirty. Forty. Fifty. Tour buses, port-a-potties, etc.,"

I live in a neighborhood with homes in close proximity to one another. We have neighbors who throw a party almost every weekend. Both sides of the street are filled with cars, lining up nearly the length of the block. They do not need a special permit to host a gathering in their home. But if the gathering is religious in nature then you need the permission from the city council?

Citizens shouldn't need government permission to have a gathering in their homes. The purpose for the gathering shouldn't matter as long as the peace of the community is not being disturbed and no illegal activity is taking place. It seems this group is being discriminated against because the gathering being hosted is religious in nature.

Meeting for worship should not be against the law, especially in a private residence. To say you cannot erect a building is one thing, but to say you cannot pray in your own home is ridiculous!

No one should need the government's permission to exercise a right that is already guaranteed in the first Amendment to this nation's constitution.

My understanding of Amendment I to the Constitution of the United States of America:
"Congress (the government) shall make no law respecting (in respect or regard to) an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble (even in their own home), and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

As an American and a Christian I enjoy this "right", but also feel an obligation to make sure it is defended and extended to other religious groups as well.