Category: Life

Real Discipleship, Real Problems…

“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23 (NIV)

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Discipleship is NOT easy!

When Jesus came to call His disciples he turned tradition on its head. Rabbis didn’t go to their ‘would-be’ disciples. Rabbis waited for the disciples to come to them. Jesus was a revolutionary! Those who actually became disciples of a Rabbi were deemed ‘good enough’. These were the cream of the crop. Those who had studied and excelled at memorizing scripture and also at discerning those scriptures. A disciple would eventually, if things progress as planned, replace the Rabbi. So the disciple would emulate all that the Rabbi did. They would walk as the Rabbi walked. The would speak as the Rabbi spoke. They would apply the same lens and perspective to the Torah that their Rabbi would apply. Being a disciple was not an easy task. Every waking moment was spent living in the shadow of the Rabbi that they followed.

When Jesus came to call His disciples, He called those few individuals who had moved past their formal education in the temple and back to the vocations of their fathers. They weren’t the cream of the crop. They weren’t the best students, and they weren’t deemed worthy to be disciples by other Rabbis. Yet Jesus came to them. That alone should tell us something about Jesus. He came to get them. To call them. His mode of discipleship was vastly different from other teachers. He essentially picked working class people to become his proteges. He was telling them that though they hadn’t been good enough by the ‘professors and scholars’ of the law that they were good enough for the Son of God.

Think of it. Jesus, God’s own Son, tells a group of rough edged fishermen that they were worthy to become like the Christ. How can this be? One who is perfect, who will eventually take upon Himself the sins of the world and die to save mankind says to a group of imperfect, dirty fishermen; “You can be like me“. It blows the mind. It’s not how it is done in Jesus’ world. Yet He does it His way.

There’s a very real application for us today in this. Jesus still calls the ‘unworthy’, and He says to each of us, “You can be like me!” It doesn’t matter where we’ve come from. Or where we’ve been. It doesn’t matter if we even flunked out of school or lived with addictions. Jesus comes to us and tells us that we can be worthy to be like Him. Can you picture that?

Jesus is essentially telling us that no matter how badly we’ve failed in life. No matter how difficult an upbringing we’ve face; no matter what junk we have in our lives that He believes in us. He believes that we can be like Him. Now perhaps some are thinking ‘there’s no way I could be perfect like Jesus.’ And you know what? You would be right. We can’t be perfect in our own power and strength. We can’t be ‘godlike’ in our own good deeds or our goody-two-shoes attitudes. We won’t ever be good enough to be perfect. Yet God in the form of His Holy Spirit wants and can transform us if we let Him.

To be a disciple of Christ we have to decide that not only He is worthy of following but that we are worthy enough to follow Him. This is the real problem of discipleship. Many just don’t believe in themselves. Many have doubts that they are indeed good enough or worthy enough to be called a disciple of Christ. Here’s the solution to that problem: Jesus believes in you! He believes that you can do it! You are worthy of becoming His disciple because He says so.

I’m sure those fishermen on the shores of Galilee had their doubts in themselves too. I’m sure they too felt unworthy. And yet Jesus called them and said, “Come follow me.” Today He still says that to us. The journey will not be easy. Much will be lost along the way, but so much will be gained in following Him. My prayer for all of us is that we begin to realize that Christ believes in us. And because of that we might begin to have confidence in not only Him but ourselves as well.

“He who began a good work in you, will carry it on into completion!” Philippians 1:6

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-Just a thought.

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Joy & Hope…Retrain the Brain.

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Two simple words.  Yet all too the often these words fail to connect with humanity.  All too often hate and sorrow are life’s constant companion.  All too often if joy is captured at all it is but a brief glimpse, a blink of the eye…and then it’s gone.

How can we capture and experience true joy and hope?  How can life become so much more potent and alive?  It begins with a climb up a sheer rock face.  Not a real climb mind you, but a journey within one’s thoughts and attitudes.  This climb takes us from where we are to a place above in which we train our minds and prepare our thoughts.  Where we change the thought patterns within our lives and attempt to see life around us as we have never seen it before.

This isn’t some new age philosophy here either.  We aren’t attempting to reach within ourselves, and recognizing our bad habits within our own thoughts.  We face the blatant behaviors and poor choices.  We confront the darkness that resides within our minds.  This is the place where hatred, selfishness, sadness, and greed reside.  Our minds truly are a battle field.  We wage a war that is mostly unseen.  It may sound mystical but in reality where do our actions come from?  -Our thoughts.  Where do those choices come from which hurt others, hurt ourselves and lead us into deeper alleys of sadness?  -Our thoughts.

What would happen, if we could change this pattern of thinking?  What would happen if we could redirect our thinking and what we think on?  What would happen is that we could begin to experience joy and hope not just in mere fragments but in every instance.

So how do we do this?  How do we capture our thoughts and conquer these dark patterns?

1. Seek Guidance:

Understand that we have been created by God and that His fellowship with us can and will change and transform us.  This isn’t some sort of dogma we chant or words we use to line up the masses all straight and uniform in organized religion either.  This is a very personal and intimate relationship that God desires from each of us.  When He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins He made a way for that relationship to be restored once and for all.  So when we confess our dark patterns to Him and accept His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives we are accepting a better path.

This relationship offers guidance to a better way of living too.  Do you know that followers of Jesus were once called ‘followers of The Way’?  This is truth for us today.  Because Jesus offers us a better way to live.  One that frees us from the bondages of sin and those dark patterns of thinking.

His guidance is available to us and is truly the only way by which we can truly conquer the unhealthy and dark patterns of thinking.  We begin this climb by asking for God’s guidance through prayer and supplication.  But don’t stop with just your words speaking repetitions and utterances…listen.

2. Listening:

Part of the conversation with anyone and even God is not only talking but listening.  This is where instruction and guidance can begin.  We need to prostrate ourselves before God and be available to listen…simply listen.  How else are we to hear from God if we do all of the talking?  Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am God…” Be still…we are to stop and listen, to be still and hear.  Listening takes patience, silence from distractions and tuning into what God is saying to us.  This act is truly an act of personal worship in a very intimate setting.  It’s not some mystical mumbo jumbo that we do.  You may not audibly hear God speak to you, but within our hearts resides his voice…within our soul He longs to permanently take up reside.  He will speak to us in moments of silence and in moments of deep devotion.  But all too often we are so distracted by the world around us that we hardly tune in to hear what he would say to us.

3. Meditate:

Not in some Eastern philosophy sense, but rather meditate on the very words of God.  By that I mean read His words written for us in the Bible.  Study it.  Read the red letters of Jesus in the synoptic gospels.  Read what Paul instructs the early churches to do.  Understand what James has to say about the tongue in His book.  Study the Bible, don’t approach it as some task or arduous homework assignment either.  Do it out of love and devotion to God and the longing to live a healthier, holier life-style.

4.  Discipline yourself:

Not by flogging yourself or punishing the flesh, by any means…but by being disciplined in your daily routines and attitudes.  Be serious about wanting this joy and hope in your life.  When we seek His guidance and listen to His voice we begin to find peace and understanding.  We begin to want to spend more time with Him.  For some five minutes in prayer is very difficult, but if we discipline ourselves in regards to prayer we will slowly begin to find five minutes isn’t nearly enough time to talk with God.

2 Corinthians 10:5b says, “…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” We we can make this climb out of our dark patterns of thought through God’s help, we will begin to understand this verse.  We can truly experience pure joy and hope because we have, through the power of the Holy Spirit, taken captive of every thought.  And we are in turn thinking within the realms of Joy and Hope.

Does this seem far fetched to you?  I hope it doesn’t because God does not want us to reside any longer in the darkness of our minds, but He wants us to surrender every nook and cranny of our body, soul and mind to Him.  When we are or have done so little by little we can begin to experience this joy and hope in every moment of our lives.

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Home Sweet Home

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It’s interesting when you see these hanging in homes.  For most it’s a sentiment that evokes  love, acceptance, peace, somewhere to not only hang your hat but to rest.  These signs are a dime a dozen in tourist shops and craft stores…trust me I’ve been to many of both.  But the real sentiment which is relayed in these wall hangings can be found within our searching can’t it?  We automatically identify places that are not home to us.  Perhaps its in the decor of a place, or in the beds we sleep in, or in the company we find ourselves in.  But in our searching we can identify where home is and where home isn’t.

Similarly this should be the case in our spiritual relationships.  If we are familiar with our Eternal Father in heaven we can quickly identify where He does not reside.  And if we are tempted and go to these places we will continue to feel ‘away from home’ in them.  Isn’t it interesting that the places we call home don’t just make up things or tangible surrounds?  The reasons we call certain places ‘home’ is because of a heart-attachment.  By that I mean we are emotionally, historically, and internally attached to a certain place because ‘this is where I’m from!’.   Do you see the context here?  It’s not four walls of some building that makes a place home, it’s an attachment to us that goes beyond the physical realms.

Similarly in our searching we find ourselves asking ‘big questions’.  Questions like ‘who made me?‘ or ‘Are we alone in the universe?’, ‘is there a God?‘, ‘Can I really believe what the Bible says?‘.  You see we are all searching in some way, shape, or form for home.  Ever since Adam and Eve initially were expelled from the garden of Eden we have been in search of home.  Something within us is missing.  A crucial life component that makes us whole again.

It’s like working so hard on a thousand piece puzzle and coming to the end of it and discovering you are missing one vital piece of the puzzle.  Without that one piece, the puzzle is incomplete.

Intrinsically we are created in God’s image, yet because of this fall into sin, our image of God in us is severely marred…we are missing a piece from within us.  This is what A.W. Tozer said on this subject:

“Before the Lord God made man upon the earth He first prepared for him a world of useful and pleasant things for his sustenance and delight.  In the Genesis account of the creation these are called simply “things.”  They were made for man’s use, but they were meant always to be external to the man and subservient to him.  In the deep heart of man was a shrine where none but God was worthy to come.  Within him was God; without, a thousand gifts which God had showered upon him.  But sin has introduced complications and has made those very gifts of God a potential source of ruin to the soul.  

Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and the things were allowed to enter.  Within the human heart things have taken over.  Men have now by nature no peace within their hearts, for God is crowned there no longer, but there in the moral dusk stubborn and aggressive usurpers fight among themselves for first place on the throne.  

This is not a mere metaphor, but an accurate analysis of our real spiritual trouble.”

Do you see now why we are still in search for home?  As Tozer puts it, the sacred shrine within us that housed God has been replaced with the external things of this world.  We have settled for the creation instead of the Creator.  But sin is an utterly poor replacement for God.  It’s like calling a mildewed and molded shack with no roof ‘Home’…and settling for something far below what God could provide us.

Our search for home is probably the most ancient sentiment and emotional attachment to this now vacant shrine within us.  Everyone in all of creation has now been born with this longing to find home once again.  There is a spiritual ache within us.  And in order to be whole again we, like the prodigal son in Christ’s parable, have to come to our senses and return to Him.  He longs for us to choose Him.  When we consider the ‘slop’ we have put into our lives and within our ‘sacred shrines’ we cannot help but feel ashamed.

Yet Christ provides us this missing piece.  Our image, our relationship can be restored…we can find that peace, perfect peace of Home once more?  It can only be found at the foot of the cross.  May we stop seeking and starting looking to the One who desires to make us whole once again!

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  1. Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
    The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
    When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
    Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
  2. Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
    Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
    Change and decay in all around I see—
    O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
  3. I need Thy presence every passing hour;
    What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
    Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
    Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
  4. I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
    Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
    Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
    I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
  5. Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
    Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
    Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
    In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
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Avoiding the trappings of ‘Us against Them’ mentality

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Admit it, you’ve done this too haven’t you?  Something doesn’t go according to plan or a report becomes very late and you had no knowledge of it until you received the biting e-mail reminder.  We sit in our offices or in front of our computer screens and we automatically see the lines in the sands which separates US from THEM.  Logically we know it isn’t true and yet somewhere in the back of our minds we visualize somewhere at the other end of the computer terminal the ‘dark side’ plotting against us.

Some of you conspiracy theorists out there believe it’s true.  For most of us we at some point come to the realization that we are all accountable to someone.  Reports, and statistics that are tedious…monkey work.  Yet they all culminate for good or for bad and gauge successes and/or failures.

It is easy to do.  Our perceptions become tainted by snarky e-mails, or abrupt phone calls from our headquarters.  Automatically our defenses go up.  ‘They don’t understand‘ we whisper under our breaths.  And once again we find ourselves in imaginary foxholes pitted against an army of pencil pushers and bean counters of the evil kind.  But is this really the truth?  Are we really being oppressed and placed ‘under the thumb’?  Or are we just encasing ourselves in self-made prisons of conflict and oppression?

It really is an unhealthy way to live is it not?  We ought not find ourselves tossing and turning in our beds at night because we feel persecuted and alone in our ministries.  Keeping these frustrations and stresses building up in us will eventually lead to medical issues and even depression.

So how do we change our perspective on things beyond our control?                      How do we overcome this ‘Us against Them’ mentality?

Here’s 4 prescriptions to reverse this perspective:

1.  We’re all human.

Recognize that each person is playing a role.  Whether it’s a hierarchy system or office ‘chain of command’.  Each person is a human being and we ought to treat each other as equals.  We all put our pants on, so to speak, on one leg at a time.  Ideally we are also working towards the same goals.  Find the common ground, commonality in humanity, and begin to change your perspectives.

2. Communicate Clearly.

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Most conflicts which arise and begin to create this ‘Us against Them’ mentality are simple mis-communications or lack of initial communication.  Sometimes we get carried away with our planning or in starting something new in our ministries and forget to include the appropriate team and/or leadership support.  Failure to include these parties in our planning at the onset might create conflict that could have been avoided had proper communication taken place first.

Secondly on this communication topic, don’t read too much into e-mails written by individuals.  It is too hard to interpret the tone of someone’s letter at times and so the simplest solution is to pick up the phone or better yet have a face to face meeting to further understand that person’s perspective.   We at times get so bent out of shape because an e-mail seems to be written harshly or we interpret the tone to be confrontational.  Be careful  not to just idly zip off a rebuttal e-mail without first considering an actual conversation to clarify.  Think rationally and take the time to respond appropriately.

3.  Exchange shoes

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You’ve heard the expression ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’?  It reminds us that we may not fully understand another person’s perspective unless we understood their lives and/or their respective responsibilities.  Do we understand the pressures they have to work under?  Do we know what sort of reports they have to submit?  Can we ease their stress by just getting it done?  It would be foolhardy of us to think that we are the only ones living under restraints and/or a chain of command structure.  Others too are facing timely reporting issues and stresses in the workplace.  If we can take a selfless jaunt in the shoes of one we have deemed as ‘Them’ then we might begin to change our perspective on things.

This isn’t some sort of placating move either.  If we have a valid issue don’t play possum and roll over, fight for it.  But nine times out of ten the people we have viewed as ‘opposition’ are in fact on our side and living under different authorities.

4.  Make peace with Authority. 

I would venture a guess that most, if not all of us, do not like those disciplinary meetings with one who is authority over us.  It certainly is not how I would want to spend my day!  None of us want to be told we are coming up short or needing to improve in our work performance.  In truth those meetings totally and undeniably suck!  I hate em, and I’m sure you do too.  And yet we have to realize that where ever we work or live we are always subjugated to authority in one shape or another.   We can’t avoid this human structure.  Sometimes it does suck.  Other times we truly appreciate this system.

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” -Hebrews 13:17.

There I’ve included a passage of scripture that is hard to swallow at times.  Who here enjoys submitting to authority?  I struggle with this.  I question authority a lot.  But at the end of the day will I obey or will I disobey?  Truth be told it all depends on the situation.  But honestly if we obey as Paul tells us to, which I believe is inspired scripture from God, then we live better lives because of it.  We may not always agree with authority.  We may sometimes have to say no.  But make sure you have a valid reason for doing so, not just because you didn’t feel like it at the time.

Secondly, authority figures that we work under are hopefully there to support you.  Recognize that we are all human and we all make mistakes at times.  Forgive often and pray for your leaders.  We may not understand the pressures they are working under either.  Also consider this: how will you lead if/when you find yourself in their place?  This may be an inevitability.  And if you one day find yourself in that position, perhaps a measure of wisdom and humility will come with your authority too.

Finally recognize that you aren’t a victim!

Circumstance and issues will arise, this is for certain!  How we react to these sometimes will allow for proper communication and healthier perspectives.  If after these four prescriptions you still find yourself at odds and are battling within this ‘Us against Them’ war, find support!  There are undoubtedly people and leaders who can help you.  We cannot sustain any measure of success working under such limits and perspectives.

Get out of this trap while you can,if anything for your health and well being.

-Just a thought.

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A Prayer For The High Council and our future General

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It would be foolhardy of me to elevate another humble servant of Christ in such a way that they eclipse Jesus himself.  We in the Army are certainly not seeking to deify a human being in the promotion/election of General.  There will not be any white smoke going up to the heavens as the High Council eventually elects its next General.  We will not seek to promote a General into Sainthood here either.

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But our identity does change to some extent when a new General takes office, so to speak.  We do need leaders who will cast our Army vision and purpose for the years to come as well as work with national/international leaders to further this mission of Christ.  The office of General is important in this respect.  We most certainly don’t view our General as omniscient or infallible either but scriptural speaking we do acknowledge that we are to obey and listen to our leaders:

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” -Hebrews 13:17.

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That being said, here is a prayer for our Army:

‘Dear Lord, you know each precious soul who is a part of this army.  We are your servants seeking to preach Christ crucified to a dying, sin sick world.  May your light continue to shine on our paths as we listen to the proddings of your Spirit.  I ask that you guide our leaders who will be gathering soon for the high council.  Please provide them safety as they travel, discernment as they pray and consult you for directions.  We humbly acknowledge that Your will be done in and through Your people…may it be so also within the high council.  

We also ask that Your servants will hear Your voice in the election of our next general.  That You will gently guide these proceedings and that You ultimately appoint this leader.  We serve a world of vast diversities, issues and conflicts and in the broad global view,  help and equip us for the mission yet ahead.  It is in your name we pray all of this.  Amen.”

As the days leading up to this appointed time quickly speeds by, please continue to pray for all of the Commissioners, lift up The Chief of the Staff, Commissioner André Cox as he makes these preparations and offers his guidance on the onset of the high council.  Prayer is a vital and formidable weapon that we as saints of God are called upon to utilize.

We are most likely unsure of how this whole thing works, but we are trusting in the One who will guide each and every leader.  We also further acknowledge that Christ is first and foremost the head of our Army…and in that regard we already have the victory!

Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers, rise.
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below
Let all our strength be hurled.
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.

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Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory, that overcomes the world.

His banner over us is love,
Our sword the Word of God.
We tread the road the saints above
With shouts of triumph trod.
By faith, they like a whirlwind’s breath,
Swept on o’er every field.
The faith by which they conquered death
Is still our shining shield.

-Just a thought.

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The Salvation Army: A Movement, not an Organization

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I was sitting in the cornet section of the band waiting for the seven measure rest to end and a thought hit me.  As the movement continued at a ‘pep band’ pace.  Each measure, counted out and played, sometimes correctly…sometimes not, we were moving to the grand finale of the piece.  The pinnacle of the march where each running melody and harmony made its double forte’d ending proclamation.  Our conductor described it as puzzle pieces being put together to form the melodies and responding harmonies all hurtling toward the last note.

What was the thought that hit me? 

Just as the march we were playing progressed along in its jovial tune, igniting feelings of joy and hope, so too our Army resembled this structure.  Even our mission statement proclaims this truth:  “THE SALVATION ARMY, AN INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT…” We are a movement and some of the attributes of a movement is that we progress to the grand finale.  For us this finale is the ultimate return of Jesus Christ!  But what about now, in the interim?  What are we to do?  Though the repeating melody, so to speak, of our mission is resounding loud and clear are we just playing the same Image(repeat)?

written in our Army’s history?  If we are to play the movement correctly as an Army, then we have to move forward not backward.  Let me preface this by affirming our very rich heritage first.  We have been so blessed by progressive leaders in our Army.  Those who have moved our Holiness theology along, those who have lead not by consensus but by conviction and the moving of the Holy Spirit.  These beginning leaders, and still many today, have or are leading by risking much!

Remember the parable of the talents?  Who were the servants who were rewarded in the end?  Those who risked much.  They were the ones who didn’t bury their talents in the dirt but spread them out and multiplied what was given to them.   There’s a very important spiritual lesson here for us as an Army as well.  Though we ought to relish and appreciate our rich heritage, we ought not seek to preserve some which have run their course while blindly ignoring areas of risk that are untried methodologies and practices.

You see, when we begin to insulate what we have already accomplished in the past and seek to preserve these we lose sight of the movement and replace it with an organization.

Do you know the definition of an Organization?  an administrative and functional structure (as a business or a political party); also : the personnel of such a structure.

Is it important to have some sort of structure?  Of course…but if our mission statement says we are a movement and yet we don’t move or progress we begin to lose our identity.  We ARE NOT first and foremost an ‘administrative structure’…we are a mission and movement for Christ!  When we become bogged down more by missional politics, policies and procedures instead of  progressing then we discover an identity crisis in our Army.

One of the biggest dangers in any Church or Movement is when we plateau and begin to have polarizing ideologies.  Movements are much easier to begin but when some of its mission begins to plateau statistically or fail in its effectiveness the danger is that the risks become less.  By that I mean since there has been much gained already, there will undoubtedly be  something lost within future risk taking in mission and evangelical program.

Wasn’t it General William Booth himself who said if a corps was not meeting minimum requirements they ought to close it immediately and move on?   And yet this isn’t happening today.  We continue to pour resources into failing appointments and preserve its structures instead of removing the dead weight of these failed missions.   In essence we have again reached an identity crisis.

Furthermore for non-profit tax purposes here in the United States we have incorporated all of our territorial headquarters and categorizing them as ‘organizations’…again I recognize the intent, but to what end does this take us?  It may seem like semantics here, but have we not then become an organization instead of a movement?  From our foundation as a movement I recognize that we will change and grow, but so too we ought to recognize the dangers of losing this original identity.

Learning from History:  War tactics –

In the American Revolutionary War, the Red Coats (British) fought within its traditional structure.     When they engaged an enemy they would line up and march forward rank and file.  Onto the battle field they would march with uniform and rifle in perfect symmetry.  Those from the thirteen colonies who were fighting the British began to understand that they couldn’t fight a conventional war against such a formidable army and expect to win.  So they devised a new means of engaging the enemy.  In essence they changed the rules of warfare.  They no longer lined up as the Red Coats did, instead they fought from the tree lines, in ambushes and in clever strategies.   It was most unconventional and yet it was very effective.

We are an organized movement based upon the military yes, but as we look to the future we must recognize that in order to survive and continue to be effective in these new generations that we have to adapt.  The rules of warfare have to change.  We fight among new territories and though the devil is using the same tried and truth methods to deceive humanity we have to engage and risk much in order to be effective on these battle fields.

As a movement we are progressing forward to that grand finale.  We mustn’t lose sight of our purpose and our mission.  We must continue to risk much in order to gain much.  And lastly we must learn to adapt if we are to have victory over the enemy!  If we don’t adapt as a movement and keep heading forward then I fear we face a long agonizing slow death as an Army.  This slow death will be paved with the discarded uniforms of those who have left our cause not because of their spiritual or moral failings but because the Army sought to preserve its structure and neglected to care for those who continue to fight the good fight.

Dare I say if we ever lose of the Holy Spirit’s leading within our holiness movement, we will cease to be and the enemy will have won a horrible victory at our expense.

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Breaking The Stone Altar

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It started out as a random conversation about our favorite books.  Each person told us what was their all time favorite novel and why.  Some were books we all knew and loved, while others were books somewhat foreign to us.  As the conversation wound back around to the originator, someone hit upon a truth.  We all were in agreement that we really loved the C.S. Lewis books, “The Chronicles of Narnia”.   Someone indicated that they really fell in love with the Narnia world.  Another lauded the characters of Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy, giving particular moments in the books that really struck them as ‘wonderful’ or ‘brilliant’ through these characters.  Again we all went around the room and shared specifics of the books that we thought we memorable and epic.

Then, someone said it.  I’m not sure who it was, but once the words were loosed it hung in the air like a lingering fog in the early morning hours.  The lights went on in all of us as we all nodded in agreement.  

The Epiphany: Aslan giving up his life resembled that of what Christ had done for us.  Aslan was sacrificed by the White Witch on a stone altar.

For a moment no one spoke.  Each person recalled the scene.

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Then, it hit me.  Aslan died for all of Narnia (which represented our world).  He willingly laid down his life before the evil White Witch.  Then, Aslan died.  As a kid I remember hearing this story, my father reading it to me, and I wept.  Still a lump forms in my throat even now as I remember it.  Though, the story didn’t end in the death of the mightiest lion.  As a matter of fact while Lucy and Susan wept bitterly over Aslan,  something miraculous and completely unthinkable takes place.  As the sun begins to rise from the darkness of night the stone altar that Aslan’s body is still resting on breaks in half and the great lion is resurrected.

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How awesome is that? 

Like Christ, Aslan dies for all the world.  “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Aslan is killed in the darkness surrounded by every evil thing in the world.  But as soon as the sun crested the horizon that morning, resurrection takes place.

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Jesus, God’s one and only Son arose.  Aslan arose.

When Jesus died an earthquake shook the ground.  The curtain in the temple, which separated the holy of holies, was completely torn from top to bottom.

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Significance: God’s presence was said to dwell in the temple within this sacred space called the ‘Holy of Holies’.  Only High Priests who were clean could enter this place.  It was not accessible to common people.  But when the curtain was torn it signified that God’s presence was accessible to everyone, and that He was not bound by four walls.  He was omnipresent and and omniscient.

The Stone Altar Broke:

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At sun rise, Aslan is resurrected.  He comes back to life and at the same time the stone altar on which he was slain breaks in two.  What could be significant about this?  Could it be that the power and ‘creature made’ order was broken?  Could it be that Aslan couldn’t be bound by evil?  Could it be that Aslan couldn’t be bound by any creature?  Could it be that the old ways were now destroyed while original intent was now restored?

YES TO ALL OF IT!  

Do you see the significance of the breaking altar?

Man’s order of things, man’s fall, man’s rituals are broken.  They are not paramount to the redemption that Christ offers!  Christ came, He died, the curtain was torn, He was dead no longer and God’s original intent for the world was now restored!

The only thing that stands in our way from restoration then is OUR CHOICE.

We can choose to be restored and be made clean through His blood, or we can choose to reject Him.  Either way it boils down to a choice we all have been given and we have to make.  But the really amazing thing is that God has made Himself available to us…everywhere!  Man’s order doesn’t bind God.  Man’s rituals don’t impress Him.

The Stone Altar has been broken for all of us.  Each of us are free to receive His presence…but we have to choose to received Him!  We have been set free, what we do with this freedom and redemption is now up to us…I hope you choose Him!

“None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning–either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in it’s inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of Summer.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

“If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most, or else just silly.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

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God is Dead?

Okay, let me set the record straight…as if you needed me to. God is most certainly NOT dead. However Black Sabbath has resurrected (no pun intended) their music career with Ozzy Osbourne lending his vocals once again to the band. This heavy metal/progressive rock band is known for their dark gloomy, foreboding songs and lyrics. So I guess in that context you shouldn’t e surprised to hear this song on their new album.

Questions:
I get the sense from this song though that Ozzy or the writer is searching for the right answers. You know we all sometimes regret the angst of our youth, and within this song there is a questioning of what is known.

It’s been claimed many times since Nietzsche stated it ‘God is Dead’, and I believe it speaks more from the human rebellion (sin) inside of us than is truth.

God is most certainly not dead, I don’t have to defend Him, He is alive and well and evident in this world through the wonders of nature and through our faith and compassion to others.

Live it daily and don’t buy this lie!

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Off to Music Camp

Well I’m off to music camp today. Should be a great week with the kids and with the staff. I’m looking forward to a great week of music education, spiritual emphasis and general fellowship.

I have a fond place in my heart for summer camp…that’s where I first accepted Christ and I know it’s the perfect place to reach kids for Him!

Will post more as the week begins.

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