21st Century Cave

We've moved all of our stuff into a climate controlled storage unit (my parents basement) and we've moved the remainder of our belongings and ourselves into my Sister and Brother-in-law's extra rooms (their basement).  Thankfully, the MidWest has basements otherwise this move wouldn't have been possible.  We've moved here to start something.  But in order to start something you almost always have to give up something.  Among other things we've given ourselves up to live in a basement.

I think a basement is kind of a 21st-century-suburban-cave.  I'm reminded that God does some of his best works in caves.  David hid in them for years while waiting for King Saul to come to his senses. Elijah, in exhaustion took cover in one after running for his life.  Moses in the cave that was the cleft of the rock while God passed by.  All men were changed by the cave.  They entered out of humility and necessity.  They exited with courage and expectation.

All of these events point toward the ultimate cave experience...  Jesus... and his cave.  He was placed in one for 3 days.   The cave was where God's humility and power collided.  In Jesus The echoes are still being heard and will, in fact, never fade away.  The cave was the plan.  It was always the plan. Why are you running away from the cave?  The only real power in this universe is the ability to give power away.  The only real way to be God is to stop acting like you are God.

The Small is Big

The health of the oceans depends on the health of rivers; the health of rivers depends on the health of small streams; the health of small streams depends on the health of their watersheds. The health of the water is exactly the same as the health of the land; the health of small places is exactly the same as the health of large places. We cannot immunize the continents and the oceans against our contempt for small places. Small destructions add up, and finally they are understood collectively as large destructions. Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry writes about the land. But I’m guessing it’s true with our hearts as well… the health of the small area is the same as the whole. Things become significant precisely because they seem insignificant. I can only grow big when I don’t overlook the small. That’s God’s perspective… the small things are the big things.

• The Hebrews led out of Egypt by a baby floating down the river in a basket.

• The giant, Goliath defeated by a shepherd boy.

• Gideon had 32,000 men but God shaved it down to 300 before battle.

• The fall of Jericho because of the faith of Rahab, one lone woman.

• Jesus feeding thousands with just a few fish and loaves of bread.

• A baby in a manger makes a way for the entire human race.

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things. Bruce Barton

Resembling God

Precisely by not being God is when you resemble God. Hans Urs Von Balthasar

Will Power

Ah, the myth of willpower. The truth is, you don't have power over your will. The English word, will, comes from the Greek concepts of pleasure, delight or desire. In other words, to will something is to desire it. The word, willpower, is well-intentioned but it might be deceiving you into thinking you can gain power over what you desire. Impossible. (Read that like you'd hear the guys on SNL saying, "the bulls", "the blackhawks"... "impossible".) You can help guide, you can feed properly, you can influence... but demonstrate power over your desire? Nope. If you could truly control your will why would you be in the mess you have been in? (or are currently in?) Why would mankind experience so many problems?

Our good friend, James says in his chapter 4, "What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?" So, the bad news is you can't control your will. But, the good news is once you humble yourself and admit the bad news, your will can't control you. (read the rest of James 4)

I recently caught up with James backstage in El Paso before his "Rock with Humility" tour kicked off, and asked him about what it means to humble ourselves and admit the bad news.

James, I'm a big fan. Thanks for taking some time out before your big night.

No problem, chief. I'm happy to.

So, give us some verbs to help us better understand what humbling ourselves means?

Ok, how about 'submit', 'draw near', 'wash' and 'purify'?

Nice, (laughing) thanks but I'd really rather not do that. That's pretty demeaning don't you think?

Well, look if you have no trust in the one telling you to pursue these verbs then yeah, I suppose it could come across as demeaning.

Right. Like my buddy, Robbie, who grew up in a house where his Dad was always telling him what to do. But Robbie didn't respect that. He knew his dad was hypocritical and wasn't practicing any of those things himself.

Good point. So, that's why it's so important for you to know who you are talking to here. I'm James, I was an eye-witness to Jesus. I was his half-brother and I'm telling you, you can trust Him. He's not encouraging anyone to do what He didn't do. I watched him. This isn't demeaning. I mean, it's hard but not demeaning. He humbled Himself in the same way He knows you need to. It's amazing really. Bro, think about it, He was God, the ruler of the universe and yet He was so good at submitting and humbling Himself. He was like a machine -

A machine?

Yeah, no, not really a machine. That's just a figure of speech and it was poorly chosen because He was the opposite of a machine. He was real, authentic and passionate, full of energy and power... and yet in the middle of all that is this mystery...

Tell me about the mystery, James.

Yeah, this whole counter-intuitive, mystery thing of 'dying to live', 'losing to win'... of wanting to be good but needing to admit you're bad before you can be good. Look, you gotta stop trying so hard to fix it all yourself and let God do it. The stuff inside you is way to powerful for you to control. If you don't pursue submitting, washing, purifying, etc... you are in trouble.

What do you mean by that?

It could mean a lot of different things, really. You know, I'll never forget a church I was at once that couldn't control how they talked. You've probably never witnessed that... Gossip here. Misleading there. You talk about trouble. It was bad, man. It was like this large area covered chiefly by trees just blazing on fire. Out of control -

How does that connect the whole humility thing...?

Look, I'm just saying that's a great example of how out of control we really are. I mean, here's a church... a church, right? The place where we think we've got it all in control but it's not. And it's that way because the people there just wouldn't humble themselves. Remember what Jesus said? "Draw close to me and I'll draw close to you." Right? Remember that? These people couldn't do it. Truth is, none of us can without admitting we're not in control.

So, don't let me put words in your mouth but it sounds like you're saying what I've been trying to communicate... and that is we really don't have power over our will, our desires do we? We really don't have willpower?

(Laughing) Willpower? No. Will-guidance maybe. Will-help... But no willpower.

That's pretty much what I said at the beginning of this post. We've come full-circle.

Well, it sounds like it but don't just leave 'em there, chief.

What do you mean?

I mean, don't just tell people that they've got no power over their will. That's the negative side. True, but negative. You gotta get to the positive. Make sure they know that when they confess their sins He will forgive them. He will move into their lives and empower them Himself, personally. I've seen it. I've experienced it. You talk about power over the will! This is it, bro. The Spirit-filled-person is someone who is controlled by the desire... the will... of the Spirit. How cool is that? Never forget to leave them with that hope.

Good stuff. Wow, thanks for your time I really appreciate it, Jimmy. I was thinking about calling you that? Can I call you Jimmy? That was just something -

No.

Ok, good. Let's just stick with James. I like James.

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.

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.

Will You be Exposed?

Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

...it exposes my innermost thoughts and desires...

That's either incredibly freeing or incredibly scary. I guess the choice is mine.

At Peanuts.com Linus says to Charlie Brown, “You want to know what the problem with you is Charlie Brown?” Charlie replies, “No.”
Linus just stares at him for a minute, then says, “The problem with you Charlie Brown is that you don’t want to know what the problem with you is.”

Humility

A while back I landed on a Christian cable broadcast of a church that is dramatically different than the one I lead. I didn’t say anything out loud but inside I was a being judgmental. The theatrics really annoyed me. I presumptuously asked my daughter to watch with me and tell me if she saw anything different between our church and the one on the program. It didn’t take her long to respond.

She said, “They have a lot more people than you do at your church.”

Kids don’t’ always respond like they’re supposed to.


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