Pictures of Jesus

One of the advantages to having never watched movies like "The Passion," or "The Jesus Film," is that my imagination has remained free to picture Jesus in fresh ways. My parents recognized the dangers associated with these kinds of influences early on, and I'm thankful. Every time I read the Gospels, I try to let the written words become spoken words - sometimes shouted, or hissed, or whispered. Languid black and white scenes are colored in with facial expressions, meals, the sound of laughter, the drama aboard a Galilee fishing boat. And the story is never the same twice.

Toward the end of John 1, in twos and threes, the disciples begin to discover Jesus. After Philip rouses the skeptical Nathanael, Jesus greets him:

"'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!' Nathanael saith unto him, 'Whence knowest thou me?' Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.' Nathanael answered and saith unto him, 'Rabbi! Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.'"

I love this next part. With a twinkle in his eye, maybe even chuckling, "Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these!'" - John 1:47-50

It is common to hear "the book is better than the movie." In extreme cases, the movie is so bad that it ruins the book entirely. Let's let the Bible tell its own story.

Spelling Reform

Fellow writers will appreciate this, as it addresses a deap-seated problem we deal with every day. Without further comment,

A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter c would be dropped to be replased either by k or s, and likewise x would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which c would be retained would be the ch formation, which will be dealt with later.

Year 2 might reform w spelling, so that which and one would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish y replasing it with i and Iear 4 might fiks the g/j anomali wonse and for all.

Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants.

Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez c, y and x -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais ch, sh, and th rispektivli.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.

-Mark Twain

This is Beautiful...

A story is told about a renowned preacher who lost his young wife. In grief, his little daughter came to him and asked a question that completely silenced him. She wanted to know why her mommy had to die if Jesus had already died for her.

Her father asked if he could have some time to think of an answer that would help her. On the day of the funeral, they were driving to the cemetery when a large tractor trailer drove beside them casting a massive shadow on the sidewalk. The father looked at his daughter and asked, "Honey, if you had to be run over today, would you rather be run over by that truck or its shadow?"

She responded thoughtfully, "The shadow would be better because it wouldn't hurt as much."

He paused and answered her gently, "That is what Jesus did for us when he died on the Cross. The truck of God's judgment went over Him. Only the shadow of death goes over us now."

-From the RZIM Devotional, A Slice of Infinity

Book Reviews, Round 1

Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis

If you haven't read this one, you need to. This feisty, lucid little volume is not only a great introduction to one of the greatest Christian writers of the 20th century, but a superb synopsis of the Christian faith as well. It is notably short on scripture, but instead of making it shallow it lends a depth to the work that reaches way down inside.

"What will all that chatter and hearsay count... when the anaesthetic fog which we call 'nature' or 'the real world' fades away and the Presence in which you have always stood becomes palpable, immediate, and unavoidable?" -Ch. 10, "Nice People or New Men"


Why The Religious Right Is Wrong About The Separation Of Church & State, Robert Boston

This is an entirely secular work, but I feel it is valuable for anyone wrestling with Church/State issues. As the society drifts deeper and deeper into Federalism, the worthy principle of laissez-faire is silently slipping out the back door. I'm not sure that there's much we can do about it, but at the very least we can think and pray.

"The more sophisticated and perceptive believers realize that the separation principle is a boon to their faith. They see danger in any attempt by government to decide which religion is true and which is false. They know that a faith that is in favor with the government today can be out of favor tomorrow. These believers are thankful for the free marketplace of religion and the secular state that makes it possible. They understand that the way to get new members is through persuasion, not government aid." -Ch. 1, "Setting the Stage"

Habits of the Mind, James W. Sire

Relying heavily on the work of John Henry Newman, a Catholic philosopher, Sire develops a case for "Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling." I had not met Newman previously, and I'm still digesting some of his ideas. While it is rather intimidating, the book is not so dense that it reads sluggishly; the numerous quotations and section headings are helpful.
Sire even has a few "hands-on" exercises interspersed throughout to keep all your cylinders firing.

"Altogether, I think we ought to read only books that bite and sting us. If the book we are reading doesn't shake us awake like a blow on the skull, why bother reading it in the first place? So that it can make us happy, as you put it? Good God, we'd be just as happy if we had no books at all; books that make us happy we could, in a pinch, also write ourselves. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us." - Quote from Franz Kafka, Ch. 8, "Thinking by Reading"

I'd Rather be a Fool

I'd rather be a fool
I'd rather be a liar
I'd rather not be cool
I'd rather not go higher
If that's what Jesus means
I'd rather be unclean
Tell me, what does Jesus mean?
What does Jesus mean?

Identity Christ-is

Talking with a friend recently, the subject of identity came up. What are we, anyway? Jesus freaks? Anabaptists? Absolutists? Liars? All of the above?

I think we need to say we're Christians: I don't see any way around it. I know everyone claims to have a corner on truth, and in some ways it seems arrogant to assume this designation. Sort of like the irony in saying you're non-denominational. Yeah, right.

But there's another side to it. As Christians, we are appealling to the ultimate standard of orthodoxy: Jesus Christ himself. This should be a profoundly humbling thing. It celebrates and passes on a heritage we can take no credit for. (Acts 11:26b)

I think we need to say 'Look, we're no better than our fathers. We're just trying to listen, think, and live. Gimme that old time religion... it's good enough for me.' We are Christians. If other people want to call us something else I guess that's OK. That's how we got Methodists and Waldensians and Anabaptists anyway right?

I'm not a Catholic. I'm not a Protestant. I'm not even an Anabaptist.

But quite often I am a liar.

Motion Study

Sometimes you just need to laugh at yourself. It was humorous to discover, last evening at dinner, that Dad and I both take elaborate routes through the Oakhurst metropolis in order to shave a few nanoseconds off our transit time. As we discussed the deep strategy involved in gaining a car length or two, it got me thinking.

I've always tended to go to great lengths to get the most out of my minute. As a much (much, much) younger man, I once found myself in hot water for dropping my pants before quite reaching the safety of the restroom. Having since matured beyond such tomfoolery, I have yet to break the habit of mercilessly shoving my stocking feet into tightly tied tennis-shoes. It may save you half a minute, but it just doesn't seem good for your worldview, or your shoes.

The voice of the Master is calling us to chill out. One can almost catch the mild exasperation in his voice as he chides Martha for her busyness, or his annoyance with the disciples's childish desire to call down fire from heaven. Jesus continually demonstrated a life lived for the present, one deep breath, one measured step, at a time. Too many of us live for the presently.

If we are to see God work in the unexpected, we must live our days making room for surprises. We are not living for a cause: we are living for a person. The mission is secondary to the relationship.

Reading Conundrums

One of the most vexing questions facing the avid reader is what to read next. The sheer quantity of material that is available is overwhelming. The words of the preacher in Ecclesiastes 12:12 are remarkable for having been penned some several thousand years before Gutenburg. Even so, it seems evident that the problem of prolific papyrus has only intensified in modern times.

James Sire, in Habits of the Mind (watch for a review) puts it rather playfully: "Heaven will be a place that fulfills my longest longings. Either I will have time to read all the books that I have not read before or I will receive something even better." He continues with some practical advice: "Read the best books available on the topics that are most relevant to your call in life."

Well, that narrows it down somewhat, but here C.S. Lewis throws another wrench into the whole sad affair: "I can't imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once."

Time is short. Read wisely.

On the Patience of the Saints

If there's anyone in the Bible that I feel sorry for, it's Caleb, son of Jephunneh. Taking 40 years in the prime of his life, wandering around in the wilderness with a bunch of rebels, knowing all the while that the Promised Land was there for the taking. And some of us think we've got it bad. Good grief.

Self-Realization?

"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. " - Luke 17:33

I easily lose sight of the uncompromising sternness in the teaching of Jesus. The price and logic of the Cross was very real to Him, and He intended to communicate that seriousness--that urgency--to His disciples. I doubt it was any less radical to them than it is to me.

Modern society has witnessed the idolatry of the individual, and many of us, in varying degrees, have bought into it. The notion that it is my responsibility to make something of myself cannot be traced back to God. It is rather my responsibility to make something of YOU.

Oswald Chambers, in characteristic gut-wrenching style, puts it this way:

"The initiative of the saint is not towards self-realization, but towards knowing Jesus Christ... We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy spiritual retirement; we are here so to realize Jesus Christ that the Body of Christ may be built up. Am I building up the Body of Christ, or am I looking for my own personal development only?"

Does that ever hit home! And, as a principle, it even goes beyond home. Chambers continues:

"The Church ceases to be a spiritual society when it is on the look-out for the development of its own organization. The rehabilitation of the human race on Jesus Christ's plan means the realization of Jesus Christ in corporate life as well as in individual life."

It is easy to forget that you have been bought with a price and that any independence you once claimed (or fancied) must be made subservient to God's purpose and God's glory. The worldly man may go where he pleases, but when once I have locked my radar on heaven, it is up to God to determine how He gets me there. The analogy of the plough we find in the gospels is a helpful one. It is impossible to become an accomplished ploughman through introspection and self-improvement. The entire purpose of the ploughman is to make a straight furrow, and the only way to do that is to get your eyes off yourself and onto something a little less relative.

Summer... and other seasons

I've always liked summer. Long days of sunshine, watermelon, dry jobsites, balmy star-studded nights.

Driving home from the store last night, preparing for a search mission, I hung my arm out the window, thoroughly enjoying the evening. And today, reading on the porch swing, I got lost looking at the trees and thinking about how the seasons rotate with the lilt of the earth. Fall's coming. Then winter. Naked trees, shuddering through storms. But not for long, because drippy, green, vivacious spring is next. Along with the psalmist, the earth gladly proclaims her fearful and wonderful creation.

In a well-known portion of Ecclesiastes 3 we are reminded of how integral the concept of time and seasons is to our existence. Words or actions become worthy or worthless depending on their sensitivity towards, (or ignorance of,) the season. As Proverbs 15:23 says, "a word spoken in due season, how good is it!"

This blog is a season. It is not an answer to the world's problems, nor is it a comprehensive representation of my personality. (Indeed, either would be an unbearable bore.) I do not know nor am I concerned with what it will accomplish or how long it will last.

If it occasionally brings you a glimpse of beauty, a jolt of reality, or a moment of inspiration, I will be satisfied. And hopefully, now and then, there will be that word fitly spoken. Golden apples make wonderful food for thought.