Continental Divides in Life

The Continental Divide is where the enormous blue sky collides into ambitious white-capped peaks high in the Rocky Mountains.  The view up above Estes Park, CO where my family visits often is as intimidating as it is inspiring.  It is, of course, the literal watershed structure of our continent and the Western Hemisphere.  There is a line all the way from Alaska down through the Andes of South America where a large drop of water could simultaneously land on either side of the Divide.  But eventually gravity, wind and weather will cause the water drop to go down toward either the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean.

And there are great watershed lines in our lives as well.  Sometimes they are big enough that we find ourselves straddling divides, looking down one and then the other for a few years.  Crossing one of these watershed features is never easy.  The oxygen is thin: the incline is steep and rocky.  Meanwhile, the expanse constantly hovers over us making us feel small and weak.  But eventually a sharp intake of clarity and an expansive view compel us to choose a destination.

Does this all sound overly dramatic?  Probably.  It’s no less true!  The Foster family is getting ready to make a crossing.  After a few years of walking along the divide we have chosen to head back East to Kansas City to plant a new church.  It’s been a crazy, great, dangerous, un-smooth ride in AZ.  We have loved our 16 years in the valley of the Sun.  I mean that.  We have experienced many things… two new churches where literally hundreds of people committed their lives to following Jesus and where we met hundreds of others, many of which we call close friends.  It’s the place where we’ve watched our kids grow, go to school, play ball, go on vacations and make spectacular memories.  It’s also been the place where we’ve walked through deaths, fires, disease, job-loss… both personally and with many others.  It has shaped us and marked us.  I celebrate all of it.  So, as we take the last few steps over the divide and first few heading east I simply want to say thank you to everyone we’ve had the opportunity to hike alongside of on this trail. 

Beyond that the metaphor begins to break down.  Unlike the water heading to the Atlantic that will never have opportunity to connect with waters heading toward the Pacific, we (you and us) can re-connect… and we hope we do!  Through prayers, the internet and the open invite you have to physically visit us in KC we want and actually need to stay in touch with you.  It's not like we're done with one trail and now we're moving on to a completely different trail.  It doesn’t work that way.  East or West, North or South... it’s all one big hike! And we’re all in it together.  So, please continue to pray, check back on the blog, vimeo, twitter and of course, as soon as details about the new church become clearer we’ll share them with you.  Blessings on you and may you have courage to cross your divide! 

Romans 8:23-28(The Message) - All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

How to Find God

I read this morning about Paul's conversion experience.  I'm interested in how Eugene Peterson paraphrases Paul's observation of the event.  He said, his entrance wasn't anything like he had planned. Acts 22:11 - And so we entered Damascus, but nothing like the entrance I had planned—I was blind as a bat and my companions had to lead me in by the hand.  For those reading who are searching for truth, for answers for the real God let me offer some insight that parallels what one of the most important men in the history of the world experienced... 


when you find God it won't be on your terms.  


A great deal of our problem is that we want to control how this all looks, feels, smells, sounds like.  The reality is God will allow life to reduce you to to nothing before you can see He's everything.  A problem with religion is that it can easily be misused, causing us to think, "if I just change a few things and clean a few areas up then I'll probably find God." Some people spend their whole lives cleaning up, like I'm doing this morning in my family room after my boy's slumber party, thinking that if one more blanket gets folded then God will have room to move in.  Kierkegaard said, "God creates everything out of nothing - and everything that God will use he first reduces to nothing."  Sooner or later, like Paul, you'll be helpless, blind as a bat.  That's when you'll see. 
 

No Safety from the Storm

Genesis 15:1 – God told Abram, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."  


This is the first time God refers to himself as a shield.*  Let's pause for a moment... God said, "I am your shield."  I find this interesting... if God is speaking to you, audibly, why would you be worried about needing a shield?  If God is speaking to you, audibly, why would you be worried about needing anything?   Good grief, God's talking to you!  Why did God have to say to Abram, "don’t fear I am your shield?" 

I'm guessing there's something in that sentence uttered to Abram that should give us a clue about God's expectations.  A shield isn’t for running away from battles.   Apparently God is going to allow us to go into battles.  If not He would’ve said, "Fear not, I am your Nike’s.  You will run swiftly away from all things negative or troublesome."  Curious.  God says, “Don’t fear, I am your shield.”   Specifically “shield”.  A shield serves a purpose.  It protects someone in danger.  When God moves in your life you will move into battles, trouble, calamity, challenges, experiences, mountains, valleys, and difficult times.  It’s not a shield to go away from danger but into danger. 


There is no safety from the storm.  There is only safety in the storm.

*Sometimes commentators of Scripture will talk about the law of the first occurrence or mention.  This refers to the first time a word or phrase is used in the Bible.  It's helpful to pay attention to the first mention because it's being mentioned in such a way as to highlight the essence of the word or phrase throughout the rest of Scripture.  The dialogue between God and Abram in Genesis 15 contains several 'first occurence' phrases.  

Expensive Grace

The grace of God is free.  But it will cost you something.

What is it costing (i.e. compelling you to... do, sacrifice, think about, die out to, give up, go out of the way for, wait on, be humble about, pray for, give money to, give your life to, etc...) you today?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the phrase, cheap grace.  He says, "Cheap grace is justification of the sin but not of the sinner."  He continues with the inevitable, chilling outcome of this kind of thinking,  "Because grace alone does everything, everything can stay in it's old ways... our action is in vain."

Faith alone saves us.  But our actions give evidence as to what (or whom) our faith is in!

Grace is opposed to earning but not opposed to effort.  Dallas Willard

Roots of Discontentment

1Timothy 6:6 - But godliness with contentment is great gain.

In his book, Kings Cross, Timothy Keller cites Cynthia Heimel as one who's known a fair amount of struggling artists become famous. But when these people actually got the fame they became not only arrogant but unhappier.

She said, "I pity celebrities. No, I do. Celebrities were once perfectly pleasant human beings... but now... their wrath is awful... More than any of us, they wanted fame. They worked, they pushed... The morning after... each of them became famous, the wanted to take an overdose... because that giant thing they were striving for, that fame thing that was going to make everything okay, that was going to make their lives bearable, that was going to provide them with personal fulfillment and ... happiness, had happened. And nothing changed. They were still them. The disillusionment turned them howling and insufferable."

I don't doubt all of this is true but, of course, to assume it wouldn't be true of me as well is misguided. I probably demonstrate that every week. I say I want contentment. But as Henry Nouwen has remarked, I easily become discontented with contentment. Take a breath. Slow down. Lord, help me.

A Prayer

The oft-quoted and apparently anonymous Franciscan Benediction

May God bless us with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

So that we may live from deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of God's creations
So that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless us with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
So that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with just enough foolishness
To believe that we can make a difference in the world,
So that we can do what others claim cannot be done:
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and all our neighbors who are poor.
Amen.

Secondary Gain

Therapists sometimes reference secondary gains when dealing with patients. A secondary gain is an unconscious or hidden motivation for a person to be ill. For example, a boy might become sick but he might get to stay home from school, watch his favorite movie and get loving attention from his mom. (all examples of secondary gains)

A person of doubt might have secondary gains as well. Maybe the secondary gain is being so sure of the absence of God that you write a book that makes a lot of money. Maybe the secondary gain is that you get to make fun of Christians. Maybe it get's you attention.

Or... maybe the secondary gain is that now that you don't believe in Him, God wont interfere with your life. Now you can live however you want, think whatever you want, do everything you want to do without conviction.

Anything is permissible if there is no God. - Dostoevsky

Of course, to be fair, faith has secondary gains as well. What might they be?

Faith - The Campsite and the Trails

Faith has a campsite and miles of hiking trails. The campsite is where the stories are preserved. The trails are where the stories originate.

More often than not churches resemble the campsite. It's the place where we preserve, build walls, fortify and safely talk about the great hiking adventures. As important as stories are we can't forget where the majority of the adventures come from. They come from the trails, out in the mountains, out on the edge.

A authentic 21C church provides an intersection where the safe and the unsafe collide. Playing it safe will not build prevailing churches any more than it will build a prevailing life.

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Hellen Keller

Athiesm, Africa

Very interesting post... As an athiest I truly believe Africa needs God.

what do you think?

Margin of Error

Three-word-phrases that make little sense to me include, "Some Assembly Required", "Selling Like Hotcakes", and of course, "Margin of Error."

www.robertniles.com seems to break down the meaning of "margin of error" for me a little. Unfortunately I'm not a mathematician so I can't seem to grasp the concept for long. Like picking up ice cubes I spilled on the kitchen floor this morning with wet hands, I have to concentrate and go slowly and even then I'm bound to have some slip through my fingers.

The phrase has got me thinking though... What's the margin of error in your life? A four-percent margin of error might mean that 95 times out of a 100 you react to challenges in life within four points of what the right answer is. Hmmm... What if your margin of error is bigger? What if you're further away from the right answer? Furthermore, what if your confidence level is lower?

The complex (I know, some would say simple) mathematical equations we've come up with to determine polling accuracy make me wonder about how complex our equations would have to be regarding questions of eternal significance. Like, how good do you have to be in order to have an authentic relationship with a perfect God? If your responses to situations, tests and issues in life determine your ability to bring heaven on earth and give eternal heaven how often do you need to respond correctly... 25, 65, 95%? You would probably concede that no one responds perfectly 100% of the time so... let's pick a number... 80%. Let's say that in order to be in a right relationship with the Creator one needs to come in at around an 80% correct response rate, what makes up the last 20%?

What makes up the difference?

Better yet, who makes up the difference?

Graphite vs Ink

If you were Graphite would you ever get upset? People are always taking you for granted, using you then erasing you, using you again. When you finally produce something worthwhile, then what happens? Ink comes along and traces over you to make it “stand out” more. Or worse yet, you’re thrown away and Ink takes all the credit by making a whole new document based on your original idea. Most people don’t realize that Ink takes all the glory but you do all the work or as Henry Petroski says, “Ink is the cosmetic ideas wear in public. Graphite is truth.”

Sure the pen (filled with Ink) is mightier than the sword but where would it be without you? I’ll tell you where… flagrantly filling in textured nooks and crannies, one arrogant false start blotted out by another. Remember when they tried to make Ink erasable? Who had that stupid idea? Erasing ink was like trying to get a 40-year-old-man to move out of his parent’s house … awkward and more than a little embarrassing. I’ve seen evictions by the Sheriff go cleaner than trying to erase Ink. Don’t call on Ink to Graphite’s job.

Ink parades itself as a medium of communication. But there’s no give and take, no flexibility, there’s no reasoning with Ink. It’s not communication. It’s a monologue. The truth is Graphite’s dialogue takes more character. Anyone can have the last word. All you have to do is yell loud enough and then slam the door.

So, if you were graphite you might get upset at times. Many people want to extol the virtues of Ink while quickly forgetting your own. Just remember that Ink has its place but Graphite has its places…

And there are very few things in life that need to be stained indelibly in black.

Winners and Losers

More presidential debates tonight. Someone will win. Someone will lose. (Not the debate - the election - because seriously these debates are filled with so much political rhetoric how can you even understand half of whats being said? And have you seen the way some of these networks cover the debate? It's like Football Night in America with 47 commentators. Shut up, already.) Sorry, meanwhile....

Society is always divided between the winners and losers. Take the recent Florida HS football game which ended in a 91-0 score.

What if the only way you win is if you lose?

When is the last time you heard a football coach, or politician... or anyone talking about football or politics frame things in that perspective? You'd be crazy to talk like that. Losing is not fun. Then you’re not in control. No one looks up to you. You’re not in power. You have no authority.

Watchman Nee said, “The question for the universe is, ‘Who will have the authority?'”

What if the only way Christianity prevails is if it’s defeated?

Inside Peace

As the climate begins to approach fever-pitch this election season it's good to be reminded that regardless of who's in the white house, or on capital hill, or in your town, family or marriage... regardless of the financial outlook facing us as a nation or you personally... no matter what issue is currently staring down at you..

the Kingdom of Heaven is currently available to you through Jesus Christ.

It seems counter-intuitive... no, it is counter-intuitive in the midst of chaos to assume that peace is available. It appears more rational to assume that noise must be eliminated and clutter organized before God's internal work can begin or continue. Yet, Jesus communicated that via Him - not the systems of the world - that God was accessible.

The people of Jesus' day had a problem with his approach. They assumed that God would come only through their prescribed way of thinking... The Pharisees said that the law had to be interpreted more strictly. The Zealots said the government had to be overthrown. The Herodians/Saducees said that working with the government was the only way to usher in God's kingdom. Jesus didn't fit into any of those groups.

In 2008 He still doesn't really fit into any of those groups... or any of our groups... my groups... His way is different than mine. I tend to form opinions from the outside in. He always works from the inside out.

Do not assume that God's kingdom is accessible unless something changes. The only thing that needs to change is your willingness to change.

The Kingdom of Heaven is presently available to everyone.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

The book of Job posed this question quite possibly before any other literature in the world. Though its the oldest of mysteries answers are difficult to find. Like a dense cloud on top of a mountain it veils our attempts to get close to God.

In just the last few days I've received word of a friend dying in a car crash, of another who was beaten and robbed, of another friend and young father dying and yet another who has been diagnosed with cancer.

Philip Yancey says, "A relationship with God does not promise supernatural deliverance from hardship, rather a supernatural use of it." I agree with that...

most of the time...

right now I don't feel anything supernatural about this.

Man-Created Trinity of Terrors

"I'm not to big on religion," Jesus said a little sarcastically, "and not very fond of politics or economics either." Jesus' visage darkened noticeably. "And why should I be? They are the man-created trinity of terrors that ravages the earth and deceives those I care about. What mental turmoil and anxiety does any human face that is not related to one of those three?"

Mack hesitated. He wasn't sure what to say... Jesus down-shifted. "Put simply, these terrors are tools that many use to prop up their illusions of security and control. People are afraid of uncertainty, afraid of the future. These institutions, these structures and ideologies, are all a vain effort to create some sense of certainty and security where there isn't any. It's all false! Systems cannot provide you security. Only I can."

"The Shack", Page 179

Questions lead to Answers lead to Questions

There are questions that need answers. Fortunately answers can be found. But that only presents another set of problems because I've found the best answers always to lead to more and better and deeper and interestinger questions.

I believe Jesus is The Answer.

But sooner or later He leads me to more questions. So, I keep living in the middle of answers and questions... in that shadow thing that Elliot wrote about in "The Hollow Men"... I live there because honestly, where else would I go? (Isnt that what Peter exclaimed? John 6)

I live there also because not having everything explained seems to make some sense. Mystery isn't the absence of meaning it's the presence of meaning too great to understand.

But then there are the things that do make sense to me and here's one that keeps me hanging around Jesus... He's the only religious leader to talk about sin and claim to be the remedy for sin. Other religions offer enlightenment, habits, karma, reincarnation, rules, the law and other belief systems in order to make up for my deficiency. Jesus is the only one who said to me, "Hey, you have a problem that is way worse than anything you could dream up and it's not going to change by trying harder. It's only going to change by letting me pay the price. And I will. Because I love you more than anything you can imagine." (that's me paraphrasing what Jesus said in the NT) He's the only one in history who ever said anything like that.

Something like that is just crazy enough to believe.

The Will to Believe

Pilot said, “What is truth?” You can almost hear him scoffing or maybe squirming… Jesus just stood there. He didn’t respond with a book, a website, or a campaign slogan.

He stood there.

Pilot was looking for answers, for resolution, for a response. And Jesus stood there in the way of truth and in the way of truth. Think about the two different ways… Depending on how it’s used “in the way” could mean a barrier, something blocking progress or “in the way” could mean in the flow, the right way to go.

Jesus stood there in the way.

Pilot didn’t get it. Maybe he was pressured for time. Maybe he was someone that just couldn’t see it. Maybe he wasn’t used to looking real hard for something. Maybe most everything was handed to him and this time it wasn’t handed to him. What he needed to do was stop, pray, think, listen and accept responsibility for his choice. But he didn’t.

Maybe you don’t get it either and like Pilot you’re frustrated. Listen, I have watched a lot of people struggle with their belief system. I have listened to many offer excuses. I’ve known people who always needed one more answer or some specific response or one more piece of evidence. Maybe you’re one of those people. Sorry to be so blunt but here’s my reaction…

No one walks away from Jesus because they can’t make the mental ascent. Good grief. Who can? No one can understand it.
Some say they can’t believe in Jesus because they need more evidence. Who doesn’t want more evidence? We all do.
I don’t believe people turn their backs on Jesus because they can’t reconcile science and the Bible. Yeah, even believers struggle with how to interpret the Bible sometimes.
People don’t walk away because of the church. Guess what? All of us at one time or another have wanted to walk away because of the church!
It’s not because of Christians although, again, trust me, I’ve been tempted
It’s not because of education, or politics, or race or pain in the world or anything else. You might think so but I don’t buy it.

People walk away from Jesus because they simply refuse to believe.

It’s a matter of the will. That thing deep inside of you that says either, “Yeah I want to believe in Him. I need to have someone else in control of my life.” Or “I could believe in Him but I will not.” You see, there’s a difference between saying, “I can believe in Jesus.” (which means you may or may not) And “I will believe in Jesus.” (which means you will).

So, I’d say stop, pray, think, listen and accept responsibility for your choice and then decide if you will or will not. Don’t blame it on something else.

It always comes down to the will.

Motives

Do I come to God for selfish or loving reasons? Am I motivated by our simple relationship or by the reward that might come from the relationship? Would I serve Jesus if there was no heaven, no hope of eternity? Do I want Him to get me ‘out of a bind’ or to build long-term character in me?

Richard Foster in “Prayer, Finding the Hearts True Home” says, “We are a tangled mass of motives – altruistic and selfish, merciful and hateful, loving and bitter... But what I’ve come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture… This is what grace means, and not only are we saved by it we live by it as well.”

So, I keep going to Him, in honesty, presenting all my motives both good and bad. I know He desires honesty more than anything else (Psalm 51). I keep trusting that He knows me better than I know myself and it’s best to bring everything to Him like a little child trusting in his father. My own children have been known to come to me with ridiculous requests. Sometimes the self-centeredness apparent in the requests bothers me but then I think I would be even more bothered if they didn’t come to me at all. I’m their father. That’s what I’m there for. I can only imagine that this is the way it is with my Heavenly Father.

Uncertainty is an Asset

I’m enjoying reading a little book entitled Art and Fear, Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking. One of the authors tells of an interchange he had with his piano teacher where in frustration he said, “But I can hear the music so much better in my head than what comes out of my fingers.” The instructor replied, “What makes you think that ever changes?” The teacher raised an expression of self-doubt to a simple observation of reality and as he did uncertainty became an asset.

And you say, “I had the idea of this job looking so much better in my mind than it is actually turning out.” Or “My vision of this marriage was so much more fulfilling than it is revealing itself to be.” Or “I see the spiritual victories more clearly and victoriously happening in my mind’s eye than what is actually happening.” Or any number of things along those lines. Yet, if it works out exactly each time just as you’ve guessed that it will there would be no uncertainty.

And there would be no reason for faith.

Uncertainty is your asset. The knowledge that this whole thing (i.e. job, marriage, dream, vision, hope, etc…) could fall a part if you’re not careful is what keeps you praying, hoping, and persevering. Virginia Stem Owens says, “To spy out the reality hidden in appearances takes perseverance.” The appearance is that the distance between your vision and the actual execution is too great. The reality is this tension keeps you focused.

Unless you quit.

Looking for God

Looking for God, I’m like the guy in The Matrix staring at the screen trying to make sense of the all the green numbers. I stare and I stare. Seems like I miss Him a lot.

Thomas Merton said, “If you find God easily, maybe you haven’t found God.”