Leaving a lasting impression...

Okay, I confess I have sinned.  I fell victim to the blogging craze and  then let it die.  My last post was in November!  That was before we knew Jen was pregnant again (yes you heard it here first)!  Well I'm back and plan on writing more often, not because anyone actually reads these musings, but because its good medicine for me.  

Recently, I have been reading in the Kings during my personal devotional time and I began to notice a pattern with the kings of Israel.  In I Kings 11, the LORD sends  Ahijah a prophet to Jeroboam.  Ahijah told Jeroboam that the LORD would give control over 10 of the tribes of Israel to Jeroboam because of Solomon's disobedience.  In v.38 the LORD makes a promise to Jeroboam that if he obeys the LORD's commands and statutes that Jeroboam will receive an enduring house like David's.  After Solomon's death the kingdom is split with Solomon's son Rehoboam ruling over Judah (and Benjamin) and Jeroboam ruling over the northern ten tribes.  

In chapter 12, Jeroboam fears that the people will return to Jerusalem to worship the LORD and will also choose to serve the house of David instead of him, so he builds two gold calves and places them within his territory, declaring that these gold calves are the gods who brought their ancestors out of Egypt (v.28).  Thus Jeroboam led the people of Israel into idolatry and away from worshipping the LORD their God.  In chapter 14, the LORD sends Ahijah to pronounce judgment upon Jeroboam and his household because Jeroboam practiced more evil than any before him and he actually led the people of Israel into the sin of idolatry.  Its amazing to  think that Jeroboam would have a prophet give him the message that he would be king, then it happens, and he goes off and worships other gods?  

Throughout the rest of the book Jeroboam continues to be brought up after every king of Israel until their captivity.  He's mentioned because every single king Israel follows in his ways.  They did evil in the sight of the LORD as Jeroboam had sinned, and made Israel sin.  Jeroboam's example was not just bad  for his sons, it wasn't just bad for his grandsons, it wasn't just bad for his friends, Jeroboam's bad example influenced the nation for hundreds of years.  Regardless of the dynasty of the monarch, the king of Israel continued to follow Jeroboam's example and lead the people further and further away from the LORD. In each of these cases the king follows Jeroboam's example; I Kings 15:30, 16:3, 16:13, 16:19, 16:26, 16:31, 22:52, 2 Kings 3:3, 10:29, 13:2, 14:24, 15:9, 15:18, 15:24, 15:28. 

Now I realize that none of us will serve as monarchs in the near future, but I think there is a principle to be learned from Jeroboam.  He serves as a great example for us as we consider  that the more responsibility or authority we have, the more influence or impact we can have in a person's life.  Whether it be our children, students in our youth groups, sunday school attendees or the kids we serve in the nursery, we need to be so  very cautious that our actions, our words, and our behavior is pointing them to engage in a closer relationship with the LORD.  We also need to keep in mind we are not just ministering to the kids who show up, we are impacting their friends, their siblings, their children and grandchildren for generations to come.  What a grave responsibility, any volunteers???

Review of The Confessions by St. Augustine

Over the past few months I have been wading through St. Augustine's Confessions.  The story of one of the great theologians in the history of the church and how he came to that point are all in there.  Here's my take; 

Overview

The book is considered the first autobiography in the Western world.  It's a Christian classic that stands the test of time.  One unique attribute of the book is its audience.  Augustine writes this work as a confessional to His Heavenly Father.  It is addressed to God, and as such Augustine confesses sin, his awe of God, and need for the one true God in his life.  The book begins at the time of Augustine's birth as even then Augustine points out ways in which God was blessing him, particularly the love of his believing mother.  Augustine marches through his childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood all the while pointing out his sin, and rejection of Christianity.  Augustine shows himself to be lost, without hope, but enjoying the sin he committed all the while.  In book XII, Augustine reveals his miraculous conversion at the words of a little girl and the book of Romans.  Augustine concludes with his reflections on God's sovereignty over the world and love for mankind.  

Positive Aspects

• The precision with which Augustine not only remembers specific events, but also God's working through them is utterly astonishing and should challenge all readers to look at the workings of one's life in their context and seeing how God is using each instance to conform us to the image of Christ.  His high view of God, and His sovereignty is clearly in view in this work.
• Augustine truly bears his soul in the pages of his Confessions.  He is open and honest about his sin, such as his fornication, even having a child out of wedlock.  Sometimes I wish we all could be that open about our sin, it certainly would give us  a greater understanding of  how Amazing God's grace truly is.
• Augustine is truly indebted to his mother Monica, who prayed countless times for his conversion.  Without her ministry to him, it is doubtful that he would have become the great theologian and pastor that he became.  God usually uses people in our lives to bring us to Him and  conform us to what He wants.  Its funny to me that this woman may have seemed insignificant to her neighbors, but through her ministry to her son and his ministry in the church she had a tremendous impact on millions.

Negative Aspects

• The language of the book is not exactly in modern English.  The translation of the book leaves a reader needing to concentrate on Augustine's argument through the entirety of the book.  I found myself day dreaming while reading, especially  in the last two chapters.  
• The reader should probably have some foundational level of understanding of the timeframe Augustine wrote and the major foes of Christianity in North Africa during that time.  The version I read provided the basic understanding of a Manichee and other facts that were necessary to understand if the reader is to fully comprehend Augustine's background.
• The historical context is also essential to remember when you are looking for theological lingo.  Augustine discussed similar subjects that we do, but uses different wording for them.  Also, Augustine's conversion is not necessarily a "free grace" worded conversion.  Its important for us to be generous in our judgements on this, and to remember that wasn't an issue at that time.

Final Analysis

In conclusion, the book was a wonderful read.  I walked away challenged to be more aware of God's blessings in my life, and thanking Him for them.  I also have felt convicted about my own pride, in thinking I am better than I really am and trying to analyze my motives, etc. and confessing those impure one's to God.  I also think its essential for us to acknowledge the influence that Monica had simply by ministering to her son.  Ministry takes place first in the home (Deuteronomy 6:4-7).  We as parents should be laboring in prayer for our children.  I would encourage  you to read this book, be aware that the language can at times be difficult to wade through, but many of the issues and questions Augustine addresses our culture is still seeking answers to.  Its marvelous book written by a wonderful man about an Awesome God.

To live  is Christ,

Jay

Where to go from here...

I'm sure most blogs will be focusing today on the election and the historic win of Barack Obama so I decided to join in the fun!  Over the past few months the election has dominated television, radio, and the printed newspaper.  It seems that over the past few weeks conservatives have seen the inevitable, that there candidate John McCain would lose.  And now while they wallow through depressed feelings and try to decide whether to head to Mexico or Canada I wanted to mention  a few of my own observations about the election;

1. I found it absolutely incredible to watch Obama's speech last night and see the jubilation on the faces of his supporters as they listened to him.  I saw tears, laughter, jumping in joyful celebration, and loud roars and applause.  Like him or not, Barack Obama inspires hope and excitement in millions of people.  I am interested to see if Change does take place in Washington.  I hope for his sake and ours that the parties can come together and fix some of the problems our country is currently facing.  

2. I don't think Obama is a bad man, a Socialist, or a  Muslim as some suggest.  I think Barack Obama is a fallen man, just like John McCain who desperately needs our prayers and support.  This past sunday the pastor at the church I attended (I was out of town, so this wasn't J.B.) spoke about respecting whatever man won this office.  How do we as Christians respect and honor a man that we  disagree with on so many issues? I see the historical context of Scripture as profound and challenging.  Think of the rulers when Paul wrote to respect those in authority over you (Romans 13)?  There was widespread persecution against the Christians and yet Paul commands them to respect their authorities?  Or what about Peter's command to honor the king (1 Peter 2).   Peter was writing at the same time Nero was ruling over the Roman Empire.  The same man that later used Christians as street torch lamps in Rome was supposed to be honored and respected?? Obama is a far far cry from Nero, yet the command is still the same for us today.  Responses like complaining, bad-mouthing our rulers or the situation reveals a lack of trust in God's sovereign plan.  We would all say that God is in control of the situation, so who would say that God can't mightily use Obama for good rather than evil? Not me. Let God's will be done.

3. As with every political campaign season whether presidential or not, I am reminded why I am apathetic with all things political; because in my soul I long for a monarchy.  That's right I long for a king who will rule in righteousness and justice.  Obama and McCain, Bush, Gore, Clinton, the name makes no difference they have and will continue to mess up because they are mess ups and I am a mess up.  I am hopeful that America will become a greater country, but frankly I'm pessimistic of that happening.  I'm pessimistic of any government ruled by sinful men of ever becoming great.  When Jesus Christ comes to rule in His Millennial Kingdom on this Earth, that will be greatness, a government that will bring Change.  That's why we should pray as Christ taught his disciples, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)  

Over the last eight years President Bush has been open about his faith and relationship with Jesus, and we as Christians seemed to respect him and urge one another to pray for him, that God would give him guidance in the decisions he makes.  In I Timothy 2, Paul says, "First of all then I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority."  Lets be faithful to do that for Obama, no matter his race, party affiliation, or religion, knowing that He needs God's guidance now more than ever... 

To live is Christ,

Jay Felker

My boy is becoming a man...

Well, not really.  However, yesterday he fell in the bathtub, hit a plastic dolphin and has a nice little cut above his eye.  Jen was so worried about it that she drove across town to let me see it and tell her this is not worthy of an E.R. trip.  Its pretty bruised looking today, but I'm doubtful it will leave a scar.  I told one of our students about it yesterday and he gave Hudson the nickname, "Scarface".  Let's hope this isn't a sign of clumsiness that the boy will forever live with...  

The Shack

My grandmother recommended the Shack to me a few weeks ago. She had read it and wanted someone to discuss it with her. Here are some of my thoughts about this popular novel...

The Shack
William Young

Overview
The Shack is a fictional story about an average man named Mackenzie. “Mack” as he is called is a successful businessmen, happily married, and has five children. While on a camping trip the youngest, Missy is kidnapped and brutally killed by a serial killer. Mack and his wife Nan try to adjust, but Mack specifically finds it difficult to accept this from God. He receives a note in the mail box one day inviting him too “the Shack” where Missy’s blood stained dress was found. The note is signed by Papa, an endearing name for God that Nan used. Mack hesitated, but finally decides to go to the shack. There at the Shack Mack spends a weekend with God. God the Father first appears as an African American woman, Jesus as an flannel wearing Middle Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit as a Far Eastern woman whom fades in and out of sight.

During that time Mack interacts with all three members of the Trinity on questions ranging from God’s purpose in evil, the need for Christ, and the necessary act of forgiveness. Mack comes to the point where he quits blaming God for allowing Missy to be killed, he forgives his father who was an alcoholic and beat him and his mom. He also forgives the man who killed Missy. Mack also gains a greater understanding of God’s desire for his children to think in terms of a relationship with Him, and not see it as a list of rights and wrongs, or religion. The book concludes with Mack returning home with a new view of life and God. Mack is able to locate the body of Missy, which eventually leads to the arrest of the killer. Mack’s desire is to meet with him, and share God’s love with Him.

Positives
• As a new parent,  the grief of losing a child is much more imaginable. Frankly, I’m scared of what I would become if something ever happened to Hudson. Many of the questions Mack asks about the nature and allowance of evil by God are honest and understandable. At the climax of the story, in Mack’s court session where God is on trial the question is posed,

“Isn’t your just complaint, Mackenzie? That God has failed you, that he

failed Missy? That before the Creation, God knew that one day your

Missy would be brutalized, and still he created? And then he allowed that

twisted soul to snatch her from your loving arms when he had the power to

stop him. Isn’t God to blame, Mackenzie?

These questions are heart-felt and in many ways reflect the pain and sorrow that we all feel when we experience tragedy in this life. The answers to these questions and others seem to balance God’s sovereign reign and man’s free will rather nicely as God points to man’s choice as the cause of evil (this going all the way back to the Tree of knowledge of good and evil) and God working through our inferiorities to bring about His will.

• I can’t imagine trying to write a fictitious book including Trinity in characters. As has been mentioned above all three members of Trinity are present with Mack at the Shack. I found this pleasantly surprising, as much of our culture seems to view God from a Unitarian perspective. I also did not have as hard a time with God as an African American woman as some reviews I have read. God even states, “Mackenzie, I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman, it’s because I love you.” He goes on to say that Mack could not picture him as a father because of the negative experience he had with his own father. Later, after Mack and his father reconcile, God appears as an older man.
• The details of the book and Mack’s experience with God at the shack were well written and presented in a way that captivated my imagination. In many ways the book was a reminder of the greatness of God, and the future home we have in heaven. This home is not a place of clouds, harps, and pillow fights, but will be real and is beyond our comprehension or imagination.

Negatives
• I appreciated the author’s desire to communicate that our faith should be about a relationship, not a system of do’s and don’ts, of right’s and wrong’s. I felt at times the idea was rather vague, as we are just supposed to please Him, and somehow we will have a feeling about it. I thought he could have expounded on that.
• At times the Trinitarianism was a little unclear. This would be difficult to communicate clearly, but at times its as if he is saying they are one, just expressed differently, instead of three distinct persons. For example, Papa (God the Father) has scars on her hands from the cross, just as Jesus did.
• There was certainly a hint of Eastern Mysticism especially with any conversation or experience Mack had with the Holy Spirit. This is extremely concerning and should be tread upon carefully.

Final Analysis
The Shack serves as a wonderful reminder for us when we experience tragedy, that God more than anyone else understands the pain and the sorrow we are experiencing. For it was Christ Jesus who unfairly hung on the cross as a result of our sin. He was our Substitute. It also reminds us that we must trust God in those circumstances, knowing that He allows them not because He is not good, but because we as human beings chose independence over unity with Him. That independence has caused this fallen world, and all the evils that take place.

The book also serves to remind us that forgiveness is necessary first of all for us. I can’t imagine forgiving someone who would harm Hudson, yet it was Christ Himself who declared from the cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Overall, I would recommend this book to those who would be interested in it. Warning them not to base one’s theology on the teachings of it particularly in the Trinitarian area, but rather to focus on the sovereign plan of God in trials and the message of forgiveness.

Perfection is the goal...

Last Sunday, a blown call from the official, Ed Hochuli cost the San Diego Chargers the game.  The call was made with less than a minute to play and Denver down by seven points and about to score.  The quarterback, Jay Cutler took the ball back as if to throw the ball, but while he was taking it back it slipped out of his hands.  The ball was recovered by a San Diego player and meant victory for their team.  The problem was that Ed Hochuli blew the whistle and called the play an incomplete pass, a call that is not reviewable by instant replay.  Denver scored on the next play and then made a two point conversion to win the game.  The Chargers had lost a game they should of won solely because of a missed call by the official.   

Here is an exert from Kevin Acee, a San Diego Union Tribute writer about Hochuli's response to the foul up; 

  

No one, it appears is taking the mistake and its ramifications harder than Hochuli.  "He's devastated," said Mike Pereira, the NFL's supervisor of officials." ...I was talking to Ed within 10 minutes after the game was over, and he was sick.  He's still sick (yesterday).  "Everybody works so hard and wants to be perfect in a game you're not likely to ever be perfect.  I've talked to him three times.  He's really struggling with the fact he made such a bad call."

The reality is nobody is perfect, not in officiating, or any other profession.  To take this a step further nobody is perfect period.  We as believers should be quick to assert that we constantly mess up, but like Hochuli our goal should be perfection in our daily walk with the Lord (see I Peter 1:14-16).  Fortunately for us, unlike the statement above we will reach perfection someday.  Not as a result of our own hard work, or  goodness, but as a result of Christ's transforming ministry in our life.  Philippians 3 tells us that Christ, "will transform the body of our humble state into the body of His glory by the exertion of power which He has even to subject all things to Himself."   

This side of heaven we'll sometimes  have big foul ups that remind us of our former selves, sometimes our mistakes will be minute.  I guess that's what is so amazing about transformation.  God is taking a person who by their very nature ran from Him, and now is changing them into  a holy being in the likeness of His Son.  So often those mess ups remind me of my great need for a Savior, of One who was perfect and exchanges His righteousness with my sin debt.  I hope Ed Hochuli is able to see his mistake in a similar light and bounce back.  

By the way you notice my Green Bay Packers are 2-0 :)

To live is Christ,

Jay  

Too busy for the essentials...

Recently I taught on Acts 6:1-7 which is a wonderful little passage on prioritizing and delegating within the local church.  The passage deals with the crisis raised when Hellenistic Jewish widows are not being fed.  These women were literally going without food because someone was not taking care of the situation.  I found it interesting and convicting, especially in light of my own experiences within the local church.  

So often within a church something is always taking place, things are being setup for an upcoming event, someone needs help finding envelopes, the list is never ending.  Often times these "to-do's" are seen as priorities within the church.  It's thought, "if the tables aren't up we might as well cancel the fellowship supper."  So whoever is there goes into crisis mode to complete the task.  And we leave feeling like we did our job, the ministry. 

The apostles on the other hand, decide not to take over the project of feeding the widows.  Can you imagine a project more important than feeding widows their daily bread?  Instead they decide to stay devoted to sharing the word and praying.  I don't think they were saying they were too good to serve, certainly they were servants as their Rabbi was (Mark 10:45), instead the task was so large it would have prevented them from praying and teaching the word.  

Rather they decided to choose seven men to take over the task of feeding the widows.  The men they chose were not chosen because of their abilities physically, but rather were to be men Spirit filled and of good character.  Its also somewhat ironic that these men who were supposed to be servants, are actually well know for teaching the word (e.g. Acts 6-7 Stephen, Acts 8 Philip).  There goes the notion that I have the spiritual gift of service so I don't have to share my faith!

My estimation is that often we as products of our culture would rather "do" something for another because of our own feelings of self-worth instead of spending time praying for another.  When I "do" something I can check it off my to-do list, when I pray I humbly submit to God's sovereign plan, awaiting for Him to work it out in His perfect timing and perfect way.  So often I prefer to go do something around the church, I find it more fulfilling to help a lady get the tables set out, or cleanup a mess from last night.  Nothing is wrong with helping each other out, but if I haven't devoted myself to praying for my students, and instead serve another, then I believe I have become too busy for the essentials of ministry according to the apostles...