Toddlers and Fire

Last night, I built a fire in our fireplace. My two oldest girls were outside playing with the neighbor kids, so I enlisted the help of my 20-month old, Reagan. The first step was to retrieve the firewood from the garage. I had only a small pile of firewood left and I would rather burn it than move it later this week. Reagan came with me to the garage. I handed her one small chunk of a 2x4. I carried all the rest of the wood upstairs, approximately 20 small-ish pieces.

When we got upstairs to the fireplace, I had Reagan crumple up a piece of paper, a job she was well-suited for. I then told her to put some kindling on the paper. She piled it all on. I even had her get a match out of the box, which I lit. Once the match was lit, I held her hand with the match and together we lit the paper and the kindling on fire.

Ta-da! Fire started.

When I think about it, Reagan didn't really do much of anything to help. She carried one measly log up the stairs, and even that was a job I directed her to do. I had to hold the door for her with my arms full of firewood, I had to put her crumpled paper in the right place, I had to re-stack the kindling, I had to light the match and direct her hand to light the fire. Basically, she did nothing and I did everything.

So why did I include Reagan in the fire-making process? Certainly it was not because of her highly valuable contributions. No, the reason that I included her was because I wanted to. I am her daddy and I want to have relationship with her. At no point in the 20 months of her life have I really needed her, but I always want her.

In Psalm 50, God says "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine."

Does that sound like a God who is in need of our contribution or help?

If I was to be honest, I often feel like my contributions to God's kingdom are pretty stinkin' important. I give money. I give time. I use my talents and gifts in service of the kingdom. And...God doesn't need any of it. He is sufficient in himself and has no need. But, God has graciously invited me to participate with him in his activity in the world. Much like a little kid going to work with his daddy, I am in way over my head. God does the work, but I get to tag along and share in his joy.

I am not needed by God, but I am wanted. That is both humbling and freeing.

Kids Who Love Sacraments

One time when Mackenzie and Delaney were eating a lunch of PBJ's, Mackenzie (who was 4 at the time) said, "Here, Delaney, eat this. And when you do, remember me."

One time we found Delaney serving communion to her stuffed animals.

Recently, my wife overheard Mackenzie preaching a pretty theologically-loaded sermon to the next door neighbor kids. For a 6-year old, it was pretty good stuff: incarnation, substitutionary atonement, resurrection, then it concluded with the line, "and that's why Jesus can turn back into a baby any time he wants to!"

I'm a pastor. I want to model good and Godly character for my kids. I want to set them an example to follow. I am far from perfect, but that is my desire. My kids' apparent appreciation for the sacraments doesn't necessarily correlate with character, but sometimes I forget how much my kids are actually watching...

I Am Dying

It's true. It's unavoidable. I have been diagnosed with a condition that is fatal. I don't know exactly how many days or hours I have left, but the prognosis is ultimately bleak. It doesn't matter how many vitamins I take or how much I jog or how much sleep I get or many green vegetables I eat or how good my health care is, the simple fact remains: I am going to die.

You are dying too. You may or may not realize it, but by the time you are done reading this, you will be 5 or 10 minutes closer to the end of your life. I know this is bleak, but I figured that you would want to know the truth.

Of course, by now you realize that I am not speaking of some specific disease that I have - there's no cancer or HIV or MS - but rather that I am highlighting the fact that the mortality rate of humanity is 100%. We don't like to think about it because it is uncomfortable. Many of us are young, still in good health, and live relatively peaceful and comfortable lives. If fact, in America, we are so relaxed and comfortable that it is killing us. Obesity is the biggest (no pun intended) health issue facing our country right now.

This evening, I spent some time in the hospital with a man who has been given no more than 2 days to live. He has been battling cancer for the last 3 years or so and took a turn for the worse over the weekend. I had lunch with him a few months ago, and he told me that his cancer actually served to awaken him to the reality that we all face, namely that we will all die. His heart was not sad or despairing; he has lived a full life and experienced many good things. He was not full of some "carpe diem" fluff; he was purposefully taking me out to lunch to share the wisdom that he has gleaned over the years with me. The cancer, rather than deflating his hope, served to propel him forward.

Christians believe that in the history of the world, there is only one person who ever successfully defeated death: Jesus Christ. The Bible makes the audacious claim that after the Romans crucified Jesus for claiming to be God, he came back to life 3 days later. In case you weren't aware, that doesn't happen. The Christian faith then goes on to claim that for those who put their faith in Christ, a similar resurrection awaits them at an appointed time in the future. The Bible claims that Jesus is the first of many more to come in the future.

For the Christian, death is sorrowful, but it is not the end of the story. One of the earliest Christian writers, St. Paul, when facing his impeding execution, wrote about his emotional conflict. He knew that he had much to do on this earth still for the cause of Christ, but he was also eager to depart this life to be with Jesus. After death comes rest (heaven), and after rest comes resurrection. Heaven is great, but it is not the end of the story. The book of Revelation claims that at the end of time, God will restore the earth and all of the cosmos to a perfect balance, a perfect order, a perfect shalom. The Christian faith holds incredible hope for this life, as well as for the life to come.

As I left the hospital, a flood of scriptures were flooding through my mind: Philippians 1:23, 1 Corinthians 15:26, 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, Hebrews 2:14-15, Colossians 2:13-14, Revelation 21 and 22. I got into my car, and I plugged in my iPod into my car stereo, which is set to auto-play. I was a little bit more than amazed when the following song came up on my iPod. I encourage you to listen to it and ponder these words of hope. For the believer in Jesus, there is a sense of longing and desire that lies beyond what this world has to offer.

There's a country that no one's found yet. Somehow I seem to know about it.
There's a melody that no one's sung yet. It's faint, but I can hear it echoing.
I've never been alone, but I've never felt at home. Isn't it strange that everyone feels this?

Try and name it, try to forget, there is something more that I desire but I cannot become yet.
Still I'm haunted, I feel the ache, there's a thousand joys that show me home but never let me stay.

I have sailed across the sea, I've seen the ocean floor, but I cannot become the tide and battle with the shore. I know there must be something more. I can feel the winds are rushing, I hear them in the trees, but I cannot rage through the sky and wrestle with the leaves. But I've heard that this won't always be....

Someday soon we shall put on the sun. Not the one we see, that's just a sketch of what's to come.
Earth and sky are coming to their end. We will wear the glory they had always hinted at.

I have sailed across the sea and seen the ocean floor, but I cannot become the tide and battle with the shore. I've always known there's something more. I can feel the winds are rushing, I hear them in the trees, but I cannot rage through the sky and wrestle with the leaves. But I know that it won't always be this way!

Forgiveness Means Absorbtion

You'll have to forgive me for the lack of original content, but this Redemption book by Mike Wilkerson (of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, my soon-to-be-new-home-church) is utterly incredible. The book is written as a theological and pastoral overview of Mars Hill's redemption ministries. The redemption groups are organized in a 2-part system: healing from abuse & freedom from addiction. All of the groups are taught and lived out under the framework of the Exodus story. I want to share with you tonight a snippet from the chapter on the Passover which speaks about forgiveness in a really helpful light.

A helpful way to think about forgiveness is absorption. Imagine you're in a traffic, and another driver swerves into your lane, cutting you off and forcing you to hit the brakes to keep from crashing into his bumper. What do you do? If you flip him off and slam on your horn (not for safety, mind you, but for payback), you offend everyone else around you. They have to tolerate your road rage on top of the usual stresses of commuting. Furthermore, maybe the guy who cut you off didn't mean anything personal by it - he just needed to move over quickly to make his exit. But you, in your swearing, definitely meant somehthing personal against him. You have refused to absorb the offense and in the process have compounded the sin.

Absorption, says [Robert] Cheong, "is at the heart of forgiveness, since it involves the ability to deal with the pain in a way this it will not be passed on to anyone else." or, as Tolstoy put it, to forgive is to "swallow" evil and prevent it from going further. On the cross, Jesus overcame evil with good: he didn't return evil for evil; he didn't pass on the evil by seeking revenge; he absorbed it (Rom. 12:21; 1 Pet. 2:23). The only way we can truly absorb evil - the only way we can forgive - is to "roll it over" to Jesus who deals with it for us in perfect love and justice. To do that is to show love for our enemy because our desire that he should know the love and forgiveness of Jesus is greater than our desire to see him punished.

I am really benefiting pastorally from this book. Perhaps you're someone who has been wounded by events in your past, or perhaps you're someone who is struggling with a life-dominating issue. I can't think of another resource that has been this valuable in a long time. You can get the book on Amazon.

Who Is The Story About?

The following is an excerpt from Mike Wilkerson's "Redemption," a book about helping people find healing and freedom from abuse or addiction. I am only in the introduction, but I am already incredibly challenged and inspired by the gospel-driven truth that I am reading. The following is an excerpt:

Here's what's surprising about making sense of your life in God's story: the story is not about you - it's about Him. He is both the author and the main character, and he has written you into his story to say something about him. Yet, if we are honest, we tend to script our lives with ourselves as the protagonist and God in some supporting (or possibly antagonistic) role.

Often, God is cast as a mere extra. At best, he adds to the background action; at worst, he's overlooked. Some have written God into the story as an absent father who pays no attention to the damage being done to his child. Some have made him out to be a therapist whose job it is to prop up their self-esteem. Some treat God as debtor, holding him responsible for their pain and believing they are owed a free pass for sins of pleasure and escape in trade for their undeserved suffering. Others live a life of despair in a world they believe is controlled by a heartless mastermind, pulling the strings of the universe with no compassion for people afflicted by evil. Some treat God as though he were the source of a better high or a better escape than their drug of choice.

...Rather than trying to write God into our stories, we would be wiser to sit patiently with our Father and let him tell us his. We would surely find ourselves in his story and learn that we are not defined by our hurts or our sins, as we may have believed. As he tells us his story, we must be willing to let go of the stories we've told to make sense of our lies. We must let his story rewrite ours and sweep us up into something much greater than ourselves.

"Redemption" by Mike Wilkerson is available from Amazon.

Video Blog, "What I Will Miss About Anchorage"

Extra Super Duper Awesomely Humble

My friend Christian has a license plate that reads "IMHMBL." Of course it's done tongue-in-cheek, but it makes me laugh every time that I see it because such a blatant declaration does not typically square with our idea of humility. Similarly, there's a verse in Numbers 12 that says "Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." Seeing as Moses himself was most likely the author of this verse, it is almost laughable that he would have penned such a thing. How can someone be humble and be aware of it?

What does humility look like to you? What kind of descriptor words come to mind? Weak? Groveling? Unable to accept a compliment?

Humility is not a virtue in our society. Pride, self-reliance, and individualism are deeply woven into the fabric of America. On a daily basis, we witness famous people behave in a way that could not in a million years be described as humble. A 7-foot tall basketball player celebrates a slam dunk like he just cured cancer, yet all he did was hop a little. A reality TV star goes out in public and demands royal treatment despite the fact that they have done nothing meaningful for society. We as a society are prolific in the art self-congratulation.

Like every other human, I struggle with pride. Pride manifests differently in different people, but the fundamental definition is that we are obsessed with ourselves. The self-aggrandizing rapper is obsessed with his "awesomeness." The self-loathing emo-rocker is obsessed with his "terribleness." At the end of the day, both are obsessed with self. My pride is closer to the self-aggrandizing type than the self-loathing type, but the bottom line is that I struggle with pride.

I have been aware of my particular type of pride since I was in high school. I have spent years trying to squash that sense of superiority or entitlement. This has caused me to sometimes intentionally downplay certain gifts or talents that God gave me. I think that I am just starting to learn what real humility looks like. The Bible gives us a amazing framework on how we are to understand ourselves.

We see that Biblical humility involves a bit of tension. On the one hand, we humans were uniquely created in the image of God (Gen. 1) and crowned with glory and honor (Psalm 8). However, we also see that we are deeply fallen and flawed (Gen. 3), extremely limited in our scope and understanding (Job 38), and that our best attempts at righteousness are like filthy rags in God's eyes (Is. 64). While we are certainly not supposed to think more highly of ourselves than we should, I believe that it is possible to devalue the gifts and abilities that God has given us to the point where we become bad stewards. The problem is not with the gift or the ability, the problem comes when we think that we deserve the credit for the gift or the ability. It is God alone who gives gifts and abilities (1 Cor. 12), therefore it is God alone who should receive the glory and honor.

Unlike my friend with the license plate, I have not arrived at humility. I am quite sure that I will spend the rest of my earthly existence being stretched and grown in this area. I can say, however, that God is currently teaching me how to live out the gifts and abilities that He gave me for His glory and for other peoples' good. Ultimately, I want to not think about myself in the process at all. I want to be so focused on God's glory that my own accomplishments aren't really worth mentioning. I want to be so filled with genuine love for other people that I use my gifts to serve them without concern for their ability to repay me or compliment me. I want to understand that I am but a speck of dirt in comparison to God, but that I am a speck of dirt whom God has declared valuable in His eyes.

Painting For Eternity

I am painting my walls so I can rent out my house.
I am renting out my house so I can have some income.
I am in need of the income so I can take an unpaid internship position.
I am interning so I can learn and be equipped for ministry.
I am being equipped so I can plant a church in the future.
I am planting a church in the future so that people can meet Jesus.
I am introducing them to Jesus so we can spend eternity together in heaven.

I am painting my walls for eternity.

What Does God Require? part 6

This will be the last post on Deuteronomy 10:12-13. I will try to keep it brief. And amazing.

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good. - Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Here is my understanding this requirement:

1. Order of operations
Notice that this requirement comes at the end of the list; I think that's important to note. Far too often, we are tempted to feel like our relationship with God is contingent on our ability to tow the line. As Christians, we must continue to preach the gospel to ourselves: our salvation is a free gift from God and it is not of works. As Pastor Tullian Tchevidjian puts it, ""Once the gospel frees you from the enslaving pressure to do anything for Jesus, you'll want to do everything for Jesus." Works come after grace.

2. The Commandments of the Lord
Everyone wants to have some modicum of control over your life. The government, the media, family, friends, bosses, coworkers - everybody has an opinion on how you should live, behave, think and speak. Our society is filled with rules, both spoken and unspoken. At the end of the day, the only "rules" that we should be concerned with are those of the Lord. When I die and stand before God, it will not matter one bit if I "played the right part" at my school, my work, my social club. God's commandments take precedence over cultural commandments.

3. For Your Good
I have quite a few rules for my daughters. They aren't allowed to play in the road, for example. The neighborhood that we live in is still in development and we have a lot of dump trucks and semis driving up and down our road frequently. 2 summers ago, our neighbors' dog ran out in front of a truck and was killed. Would my girls like to play in the road? Heck, yes! Do they at 6, 5, and 1 have the presence of mind to not make a mistake like the neighbors' dog? Sometimes...Do they gripe and complain that my rules are unfair and unnecessary? Often. In the same way, God gives us rules for our good. Know that He has your best interest at heart and knows infinitely more about what is good for you. Trust His intentions for you.

I hope that this series has been beneficial for you. I like writing topically, but often it's just good to go through the scripture with a fine tooth comb. My hope and prayer is that anything I write would point you to Jesus and cause you to desire to dig into the scriptures for yourself.

Keller on Calling

Yesterday, in my series of blogs on Deuteronomy 10, I wrote on the subject of calling and vocation. As a bit fan of Tim Keller, I was excited to see (after I wrote my blog) that Keller recently posted on the same thing recently. Since he's 349 times the author that I am, I will graciously tap out, and give you the link to download his whole article:

Click HERE to download.

What Does God Require? part 5

Continuing in our look at Deuteronomy 10:12-13, today we come to this requirement of the Lord:

"...serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul..."

This is a call to action; we're not allowed to sit still. In part 3, we looked at the idea that God wants us to learn how to walk in all his ways. I view those words as instructional to how we "do life," our everyday actions, thoughts, and words. This requirement, however, may be pointing to something more specific. I believe that there is a unique role for each one of us to play in God's Kingdom. As 1st Corinthians 12 teaches, we are all unique and individual parts of the Body with different jobs and functions. There is a lot to say about calling and purpose, but let's highlight some key thoughts:

1. Know Your Calling
There are tools to help you discern what you are good at and how you are wired (i.e. DISC test, Meyers-Briggs, Spiritual Gifts assessment), but nothing can substitute the sense of call that God will place in your heart. It can at times be frustrating to figure out what your calling is because God is not formulaic in the way He gives you that information. God is relational and desires you to pray and seek His face and read the scriptures. Only in that will you truly be able to rest in the security of your call.

2. Don't Desire Someone Else's Calling
For the last 10 years, we have had the privilege of watching the trainwreck auditions at the beginning of each season of American Idol. There is nothing more sad than watching an awful singer who is deluded in thinking that they can actually sing. When it comes to Christian service, don't be "that guy". If you stink at public speaking, chances are you're not called into preaching. Of course, God can always do a miracle, but He most often works with the giftings that He placed in us when we were born. Know your calling and learn to be OK with it.

3. Understand That Seasons Change
As the famous passage from Ecclesiastes observes, there are different seasons and times in our lives. You may find that what you are called to now is different than it was in the past. Or, a particular need may arise that has to take precedence for a season over the bigger call of God. The Apostle Paul was called to, you know, write the Bible! But when there was a need for money to help finance his trips, Paul made tents. When discerning your calling, ask God to help you know what things are "whole-life" callings and what things are seasonal.

4. Serve Wholeheartedly
Whatever you are doing in service to God or whatever season you are in, do it with all your heart and with all your soul. Leave it all on the playing field, so to speak. That's what's really at the heart of these verses in Deuteronomy. The God that we worship is so glorious, so precious, so valuable that He deserves nothing but our best. When we understand how good and loving and kind and powerful our God is, it becomes easy to pour ourselves into our tasks heart and soul.

If you are wrestling with the idea of calling and purpose, I would recommend 2 books to you. The first would be The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. In this classic work, Tozer does a magnificent job of painting a picture of a life that is fully devoted to knowing God. The second book I would recommend is Courage and Calling by Gordon Smith. This book does a great job of putting forth a Biblical theology of work, vocation, calling and purpose. Together, these 2 books can be very helpful as you seek God for His calling on your life.

Rihanna, Nigel Tufnel, & John Piper on Sex

For the first time in a while, I was shocked by something: I heard the song S&M by Rihanna on the radio the other day. Oh sure, there are plenty of sexual songs on the radio, but something about the graphic lyrics to that song struck me in a way that other sexual songs don't usually. Maybe I'm just getting more numb along with the rest of America. There are many levels that I am disappointed with the way that America thinks and behaves sexually. I am disappointed morally; sex is a holy thing. I am disappointed relationally; the onslaught of sexually explicit images doesn't help my wife's and my relationship in any way. I am disappointed parentally; I can't even fathom the pressures that my daughters will be facing for the rest of their lives.

Perhaps one of the ways that I am most disappointed is intellectually. Of all the accusations and caricatures of "dumb Americans," I contend that none are so aptly fitting as how we think about sex. We are like preschoolers who have been let loose into the cotton candy factory, eating ourselves sick and never feeling satisfied. We're immature and unthinking when it comes to sex. It reminds me of the movie Spinal Tap. At one point, the filmmaker reads a review of their record to the band:

Marty DiBergi: "This tasteless cover is a good indication of the lack of musical invention within. The musical growth of this band cannot even be charted. They are treading water in a sea of retarded sexuality and bad poetry."
Nigel Tufnel: That's just nitpicking, isn't it?

As humorous as the movie may be, it actually makes a salient point. The boys in Tap were buffoons and toyed with sex the way a small child might play with a mud pie: as a diversion. If we're honest, this is how we act about many other pleasures besides just sex. When we are lonely, bored or depressed, we reach for food that we know is unhealthy because it gives us an emotional "fix," albeit temporarily. There isn't a person alive today who is unaware that cigarettes will kill you, yet millions of people still reach for cancer sticks when they are stressed, nervous or simply bored.

You are bored.

We as a nation are bored.

We were made to be overwhelmed by the glory of God, but we're bored and distracted. John Piper writes:

My conviction is that one of the main reasons the world and the church are awash in lust and pornography...is that our lives are intellectually and emotionally disconnected from the infinite, soul-staggering grandeur for which we were made. Inside and outside the church Western culture is drowning in a sea of triviality, pettiness, banality, and silliness. Television is trivial. Radio is trivial. Conversation is trivial. Education is trivial. Christian books are trivial. Worship styles are trivial. It is inevitable that the human heart, which was made to be staggered with the supremacy of Christ, but instead is drowning in a sea of banal entertainment, will reach for the best natural buzz that life can give: sex. - John Piper in Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, available as a free e-book download here.

Elsewhere in the book, Piper argues from the scripture that sex was given to us by God to give us a glimpse of the type of joy and pleasure that truly awaits us in God. Sex is a metaphor; the reality is actually far more powerful. This is why the Bible constantly uses marriage and sex as a picture - both positive and negative - as a picture of our relationship with God.

Here are some of the things that I am praying about when it comes to our unthinking attitude toward sex. I invite you to pray these with me:
1. May we repent of turning sex into a "god," seeking ultimate satisfaction in it. Romans 1:24-25
2. May we submit our sexuality to God, knowing that His commandments are given to us for our good. Deuteronomy 10:13
3. May we understand that sex is a gift from God given to us for our enjoyment in it's proper time and proper context. Song of Solomon 8:3-4
4. May we learn to think critically, to engage our minds, so that we are not so easily fooled into thinking that an earthly pleasure can provide soul-satisfaction. Ephesians 4:14-16
5. May we learn to take all of the pleasures of life - sexual or otherwise - and turn them around as worship to the God who gives us pleasures for our enjoyment. Psalm 36:7
6. May we find our deepest joy and delight in God alone.

What I Love About City Church

The following is a column that I wrote for the most recent City Church newsletter. I hope you find it encouraging. A good companion to this blog would be the video blog that I posted a few weeks ago. You can watch it by clicking here.

On July 18th, 2011, I will get into my family minivan and drive to Seattle, moving there until further notice. I have lived in Alaska my whole life and have never left the state for more than a few weeks at a time. I am extremely excited about this next season of my family’s life as we have been experiencing an undeniable sense of a call from God in the direction of church planting. I will be immediately plugged in and serving at Mars Hill Church in Seattle and start their seminary-level ministry school in August. We are also excited to go to Washington State as that is where my wife grew up. We are looking forward to spending more time with her family over the next few years.

However, I am also very sad. All of my immediate family is in Anchorage. I just got my sister and brother-in-law back from Georgia. I have friendships with men in this city going back twenty years. I am also going to really, really miss City Church. I have given the last four years of my life to serving this local body. (Many of you go back another ten years before that with New Direction, the church that my parents started and merged with City Church over four years ago). There are so many signs of God’s activity in this church. I am going to truly miss being a part of such a vibrant, life-filled community. In parting, I thought it only fitting to highlight some of the things that I love most about City Church.

1. I love City Church’s commitment to community involvement. This church is full of incredibly passionate, hard-working people who love Jesus and their city. I am constantly amazed when I turn on the local news and see ministries that we are involved with being heralded and praised. From the New Direction High School Program to Beacon Hill, from the Governor’s “Choose Respect” campaign to our Saturday food shelf, City Church is a church that takes Matthew 25:35-40 seriously.

2. I love City Church’s commitment to generational and ethnic diversity. I’ll be honest: it would be easier to be a part of a church where everyone looked the same, acted the same, and had the same tastes and preferences. In Revelation 7, the Apostle John sees a vision of heaven where he sees men and women from every tribe, people and language standing before the throne of God in worship. I have met people and been exposed to perspectives and wisdom that I would not have necessarily come across if not for this unique church.

3. I love City Church’s commitment to out-of- the-box methodology. City Church is unusual. It always has been and it always will be. If churches were ships, we would be an icebreaker. We are often called to go places and try things that other churches might not. This is not meant to be a prideful statement but a recognition of a unique calling on this church.

4. I love City Church’s commitment to the activity of the Holy Spirit. I’ve not spoken on this much, but a few years back I was tempted to just “be done” with the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, words of knowledge, speaking tongues, praying for healing, and the like. Having grown up in mostly charismatic churches, I was tired of seeing out of balance excesses from some charismatics. I was frustrated from seeing large moral failures from self-proclaimed prophets. Long story short, God has used my time here at City Church to heal me from those hurts. Pastor Richard has spoken so encouragingly about being “naturally supernatural” as opposed to being “spooky” in our use of these gifts. I am more committed to praying for healing and praying in tongues personally than I have ever been before. I am so thankful for this church’s desire to participate in the life of the Spirit.

5. Finally, I love City Church’s commitment to the Scriptures. Throughout the Bible, we see God instructing people to write down the words that He gives them. It’s as if God knows our human proclivity to drift from truth into error. The Bible is the unchanging, authoritative written Word of God. It is not about us, it is revelation of the character and nature of God. City Church does not use the Bible to beat people over the head, but neither does City Church shy away from the bold declaration of the scriptures. I am so thankful that this church does not stand on the authority of church tradition or human reason or emotion; this church unwaveringly stands on the authority of the Word of God.

These are but a few of the reasons that I will miss City Church so greatly. I am thankful that the internet and social networking can help people stay connected somewhat. If you are on Facebook, I have an open-door Facebook friend policy (www.facebook.com/agray82). I am also on Twitter @agray82.

One final note: this is a season of change and transition for City Church. Some of you may be feeling like God is calling you into a new season of change and transition as well, but others of you may be feeling like God is calling you to step up into a new place right here at City Church. This may be your season to really serve this local body like never before. I pray that whatever call God has placed on you, you will be faithful to answer that call and follow hard all the days of your life.

One of My All-Time Favorite Songs

What Does God Require? part 4

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good. - Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Today we will look at the next instruction from this verse, that we are to love God. There is a lot that can be said about this simple command, so I will try to highlight some other Biblical passages that provide us a robust picture of what it means to love God. As you're probably aware, the original languages of the Bible have more than one word for "love." In English, we say that we love pizza or we love a particular TV show or we love our country or we love our children. Obviously, those are different types of love. Let's look at some other scriptures that help us understand what loving God looks like.

1. Love God Not Just For What He Does, But For Who He Is.

Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! - Psalm 150:2

God does incredible things. Creation, common grace, healing, provision, comfort, and...oh yeah, SALVATION!! It is good for us to love God and praise Him for His incredible works, but the scripture doesn't let us stop there; we are to also praise God for who He is. Think about the attributes of God: eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, compassionate, merciful, wrathful, patient, just, righteous, loving, etc. Those are but some of the attributes of God that we are to love. If we only love God for what He can do for us, that type of love is ultimately selfish and will leave us frustrated when God doesn't always do what we want. But if we love God for who He is (and remember that He is is unchanging), we will never be left disappointed.

2. Love God Not Just With Your Emotions, But With All Of Who You Are.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. - Mark 12:30

In our culture, "love" is almost exclusively defined as an emotional experience. We say that we've "fallen out of love" with someone, meaning that the emotional high of the initial love experience isn't there anymore. The Biblical definition of love includes the emotions to be sure, but it is much bigger and deeper than that. We are to love God by learning about Him intellectually. (I have written before about the fact that if you love something, you will learn about it). We are to love God by persevering through difficulties and dry seasons. We are to love God by being disciplined to seek Him through scripture and prayer. Again, the emotions are very important but they are not the definition of what it means to love God.

3. Love God By Obeying Him

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. - 1 John 5:3

Plain and simple, we demonstrate our hearts through our actions. It would be no good for me to tell my wife and kids that I love them with my mouth but never go to work and provide for their needs or never defend them against harm or never show them physical affection. If we claim to love God, we will learn what pleases and displeases Him and seek to bring Him joy. *VERY IMPORTANT* This obedience must first spring from an understanding of the Gospel. You will not impress God and earn your place in His family with your amazing works. In fact, the Bible says that even our best deeds are like filthy rags in God's eyes. But once you understand that the cross and resurrection mean that you are already accepted by God because of what Jesus did, it frees you from the burdensome toil of trying to measure up. Once we have understood the gospel, we are now free to keep the commandments of God out of loving response to the love that He has already shown.

4. Love God By Resting In His Love

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. - John 15:9

I don't know about you, but the above verse gives me a avery strong sense of peace and rest. Here, Jesus is assuring us of His love, letting us know that He loves us the same way that God the Father has loved Him. Our proper response should be to relax, to rest, to trust in that love. Our love toward God should not be anxious or fearful; God has demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rest. Relax. Enjoy. Abide. Live in His love. Experience His love day by day.

I'm quite certain that there is much more that could be said about what it means to love God, but the above points should give each of us something to think about, to wrestle with, to pray about. There is nobody who loves God perfectly, so we all have some way that we can grow in this area. I'll simply close this blog out by echoing the prayer of Paul found in Ephesians 3:

[I pray] that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

What Does God Require? part 3

We're continuing to go through Deuteronomy 10:12-13 with a fine tooth comb. Today, I want to address the next phrase in the list of requirements from God:

Walk in all His Ways

I remember when I first learned how to water-ski; it was a terrifically awkward experience. Every time the boat started to pull forward, my natural inclination was to straighten out my legs, lean forward, and stand up on top of the water. There was a slight problem, however: that is the exact opposite of what a person needs to do to go from the floating position to being up on top of the water. No matter how many times my teacher told me to lean back, keep my knees bent and relax, I just couldn't find it in myself to do it. Only after several hours of trying (and several gallons of lake water going through my nose) was I finally able to water-ski successfully.

A lot of hobbies and activities are like that. It is very awkward and unnatural to learn how to play an instrument or swing a golf club or shoot a basketball properly. Most every one of us have experienced, at some point or another, the frustration of learning to do something correctly when it goes against our natural inclinations.

When it comes to how we live our lives, our culture preaches a message of "do whatever comes most naturally to you" or "just be yourself" or "you gotta do you." The problem is, like the beginner water-skier or violinist, the proper way to "do life" often runs against our natural inclinations. When God instructs us in this verse to "walk in all His ways," I think it's a bit like Him telling us "I have a way that I want you to live your life, but I want you to know that it's going run against your natural inclinations. Because of your sinful, fallen nature, you think you know how your life should operate, but I have a better way. It's going to feel awkward, it's going to frustrate you sometimes, but in the end, it leads to the truest life that you will ever find."

Does this surprise you? Doesn't it make sense if God is perfect and we are imperfect that our paths would diverge at some point? Proverbs 14:12 says "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." Last week, when driving around an unfamiliar city with my wife, I thought I had a sense of the way back to our hotel, but in the end it led to...well, not death but just a golf course. Much like how our external sense of direction can get messed up, our internal moral compass is easily misled. Only the heart that is submitted to the ways of God will be able to navigate the twists and turns of life successfully.

This verse is intensely practical. It means that our day-to-day activities should be challenged by the teachings of the scripture. It means that our emotional reactions to life events should be challenged by the scripture. It means that we should daily, hourly seek the guidance of the Spirit as we face our daily and hourly tasks and situations.

It also means that we must rely daily upon the grace of God as we know that we will not always "get it right." Salvation is not a matter of works but of grace. Once we understand that our salvation is a gift from God, it frees us up to pursue God's ways out of a sense of love for Him. Our pursuit of God's ways will not be an arduous climb or a life-sucking task list, but a joyous, life-giving pursuit of the God who has made us and knows best how we ought to live our lives.