Deeper than truth

"What is truth?" Pilate asked Christ (John 18:38 ESV). Doubtful it was a sincere question. I expect it was said either with condescending sneering ["You silly fool, don't you realize you're throwing your life away? Wake up from your dreamworld and realize that I am sentencing you to DIE!"] or it was said in disgust, coming from a man who simply wanted to be ANYWHERE but trying Jesus ["Look, you're starting to annoy me? What makes you think I have time for this little philosophical game you have going on here! Do you have any idea what kind of a busy schedule I have? Do you realize that I need to report back to the emperor in 3 days about all that is going on in this cursed city of yours. Don't play games with me, little man. I'll have you crucified without batting an eye. Don't mess with me, I'll make you sorry.] Either way, it's a beautiful question our whole human race is asking.

What is truth? Does it exist? Does it even matter?

Ok, perhaps I'm still stuck in the modern age and haven't really recognized that the post-modern philosophy has now prevailed, that there Is no truth anymore, and truth is irrelevant.

If so, don't bother reading, I'd hate to waste your time.

But if there is a shred of hope for truth to win the day, please give me just a couple more moments of your time. What I'm hoping to articulate is not a court-case of evidence (which I'm sure could be shredded and thoroughly discredited by darn near anyone), but rather just my heart and faith: a celebration, if you will, of Christ, the great truth. Respond as your heart leads you. But this is my heart.

I took my two oldest boys to see the Mpls Children's Theatre production of C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" earlier this month. Ohhhhh, what an incredible production. Now I'm a theatre guy, so I appreciate the art and science of telling story through stagecraft and live actors. Technically and theatrically, is was a stunning performance (at least in the mind of this armchair enthusiast). But so what.

Great theatre is a dime-a-dozen. Broadway does is better. The Guthrie does it better, and Hollywood does it WAY better. Who really cares if some dumb play for kids is done well, right? Who really cares if some dumb homeschooling dad gets his heart stirred in some dumb midwestern city?

Well, that's not the point.

The only reason I'm' going to take the time to write about this is because of what the LWW POINTS to---namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Aslan gives up his life on the stone table, and the White Witch taunts him with screams that she, after killing him, will break her word and kill Edmund, the traitor too, and then rule over all of Narnia forevermore and NO ONE will be able to stop her.

It's every dictator's dream...supreme rule for unlimited years.

The shock, the dread, the horror...when evil prevails over goodness. When darkness succeeds over light, when injustice gains the upper hand over justice. I don't care how much you have intellectually lobotomized yourself, this pain is deeper than the human heart can bear. We are simply MADE to want and believe that the good guys will win in the end.



"When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour."


This, to me, is one of the most powerful sentences in all of scripture. Just imagine...and action so great and noble and powerful, that all activity CEASES, and reverent hush befalls all living things. It's the same reverence that silences an entire stadium when a player is hurt. Nobody cheers, nobody taunts, nobody moves. There is care and concern and human compassion RIVETTED on that small huddle of bodies attending to the fallen player.

THAT is the kind of silence that befalls heaven when judgement is about to begin. And THAT is the kind of moment I call "deeper than truth." I have to use the modifier and magnifier "deeper than" because we have cheapened "truth" to such an extent that is no longer has meaning or weight in our culture.

However, that was not the impact Jesus intended when he uttered that 5 letter word. "You shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall set you free" (John 8:32). "I am the Way, the TRUTH and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, which Jesus said to his disciples just hours before laying down his life for the sins of the world).

It seems to me that when Jesus spoke the word TRUTH, you expect the ground to shake and lightning & smoke to strike the earth.

What could be truer than TRUTH? Deeper than truth?

By way of contrast, let's think about the way we humans butcher this gift of TRUTH. Take your average 8 year old, who tells you, "It's ok if you say something not true, you don't have to mean it if you cross your fingers behind your back." Or how about our former president, who spoke boldly to the American people, "It depends on what your definition of 'IS' is." What?! Are we really getting to the point of debating in this sort of existentialist vein? "Do I really exist? Does the chair before me exist? How do I know?"

Give me a break!

This is why I say "deeper than truth." Of course, there's nothing deeper than the bedrock of TRUTH at all...but I've got to say something to elevate our dear friend truth from the muck and the mire we have buried it in these past 40-odd years.



So back to the LWW...
The beauty is in the TRUTH of the story.
It's not, "Oh, how nice...a lion in a fairytale comes back to life and saves the people. Oh how ute. Now please pass the potato chips, my favorite TV show is about to start."

Depicting Aslan as Christ being raised after laying down his life is as TRUE and POWERFUL and MEANINGFUL and RELEVANT as your 401(k) and identity theft. I plead with you, don't trifle with Christ! I beg you to read Revelation chapters 4 and 5 for a vidid depiction of the power of the risen Christ. And of course, there are scores of other scriptures as well to learn of Christ's supreme majesty. Let me summarize by sharing what mankind's reaction to this risen Lord will be:

"Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the
risch and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the
caves and amonth the rock of the mountains, (16) calling to th emountains
the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the
throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb [the Lord Jesus], (17) for the great
day of the their wrath has come, and who can stand?'" (Rev 6: 16-17 ESV

So to capture this, you gotta think of Barack Obama, Kim
Jong Ill, Vladamir Puttin, Bill & Melinda Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Nancy Pelosi
& Sarah Palin, Pope Benedict, Warren Buffet, and the Clintons
& Kennedys, all huddled together in a musty, dirty, damp cave...and
they are all crying an clinging to one another in terror of facing Jesus
Christ and his anger against sin. That is a picture deeper than
truth.

It matters that Christ died on the cross. The LWW is just a picture of that. And because it matters, and because it is beautiful, and because good triumphs over evil and eternity hangs in the balance, I write this silly little blog, just hoping to jog enough nerves to stir up just enough passion and longing or simple curiosity to bring a reader to a response and to deal honestly with Christ. Is he your Lord, or your doormat? Do you worship him, or just respect him? Is he a good teacher, or the only risen Son of God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?

Jesus did not claim to be just a good, moral teacher of good philosophy. He said he is the bread of life, the alpha and omega, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He said that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Bhudha doesn't get to God through any means but by Jesus Christ. Same goes for Gandhi, and the prophets of Islam, and all the kingpins of Wall Street. Mother Theresa herself gets to God only through the atoning blood of Jesus, not her own good works.

I'm getting too far off my original point, now. Let the question remain---is truth meaningful or relevant? If so, where will you go to discover this truth? I urge you, look no further than "the exact representation of [God's] being" (Hebrews 1:3 NIV)--Jesus Christ.

Gold medals...for me?

Nastia Liukin just won the gold medal in Women's all-around gymnastics. She was born in Moscow and moved to the U.S. with her family. Her father is her coach, and he was a gold medalist in 1988 (her mother also a former world champion). How incredibly sweet for a parent to not only win olympic gold, but then to coach a child to gold themselves. One can only imagine the pride that family is feeling right now in their daughter, and she in her parents.

Do we as Christians truly value and understand the inheritance we have waiting for us? Am I recognizing that we are to share in the Gold Medal standing of Jesus before the greatest Olympic judge that ever will be, God Himself? Do I get the fact that Jesus wrestled against his own humanity and against satan and came out victorious----and after he did that, he went on to absorb the Father's Holy Wrath against all sin?! Talk about Olympic competition. Give me your strongest weighlifter, your best marathon runner, and all the other atheletes combined, and none holds a candle to Jesus and what he endured, pouring out love instead of hatred or spite. Hallelujah, what a savior!

But it doesn't stop there. Jesus comes from his Olympic podium and shouts out to the crowd of spectators, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved"(Romans 10:9), that is, you will share in His gold-medal standing before the Father and there will be "no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). Do you get that? Do you realize that you will stand beside him on the Olympic platform of all time, making Beijing and Sydney and Seoul and Atlanta and Los Angeles and Athens, Paris, Mexico City, Moscow...all pale in comparison.

Do you get that? Does that grip your heart! Does that make you want to perservere and press on?

The author of this blog realizes all to painfully that this reality doesn't grip him NEARLY enough.

May we all be renewed in true knowledge and holiness.
Amen

Can someone explain to me?

Can someone more educated, wise, and knowledgeable than me please explain, beside the partisan rhetoric (aka superficial, one dimmensional propaganda and hot air)---is it REALLY true that the Bush administration's economic policies have truly hurt the ecomony...or is he just the man in office at the time when the economy collapsed?

Asking the same question a different way, IF Bill Clinton was president right now with the exact same world circumstances, would the economy be thriving right now???

I'm just finding it too hard to believe that George Bush is responsible for the state of all affairs in our economy right now.

For my democratic friends, can you explain to me exactly HOW Bill Clinton "made" the economy explode in the 90's...as well as HOW George Bush "made" it collapse in the 2000's??

It all just seems too simplistic to blame it all on Bush---popular as that sport may be. It just strikes me that the economy was doomed to fail no matter what---and in fact it may be that it was the hyper-excess of the 90's that fueled the collapse in the 2000's. That's what they tell us fueled the Great Depression of the 30's---all the excesses of the 20's.

So maybe, just maybe, my Democratic friends need to put the blame on Bill instead of W. I know that will never happen, but it's just a thought nonetheless.

No, really---it's neither Bill nor W's fault...WE are at fault: the American people. Me as much as anyone. We've spent too much, saved to little, and put ourselves deeply in debt. The log in my eye is very large, so I don't dare try to pick specks out of anyone else's eye.

Like I say, it's just a question on which I welcome and expect some rousing debate.

Christ, the Gold Medal Winner

Beijing Olympics began tonight. Did you catch the opening ceremonies? Oh my, how incredible. Four hours of heart-pounding showmanship, taken to the bleeding edge. Matt Lauer of NBC called it "breathtaking."

Yet, in it all---think about this now----not one mention of God--the benevolent Creator who made mankind with all its potential. No credit given, not a word, not even a hint. It's as if man did it all himself. Four hours, millions of dollars, and billions of viewers, and God isn't invited. God is shut out. God, who made us all, and gave us our incredible minds and bodies...and not even a hint of thanks or even acknowledgement.

Is it a wonder that He sent his Son to die for us? To reclaim His Glory from the evil one (satan) ho seeks to rob God of all Glory?


Ponder this...
For all the majesty and glory of the Olympic Games and celebrations----one day, Jesus Christ will come to earth to receive his due glory of all mankind, and all the angels in heaven.

And I suspect--
that day will make the Olympic Ceremonies in Beijing--
look like a 2nd Grade school play
in comparison.

May Christ be praised and rule in our hearts!

11:07 PM dilemma

Life is unrelenting, isn't it? Adult responsibilities, like pounding surf, just come at you wave after wave after thundering wave. Such is the reality we need to prepare our kids for. May they not only be braced for it, but be ready to find the joy in it.

So it's 11:07 when I first started, and I'm facing the same dilemma for the 100,000th time---do I stay up and push a little longer and get a little more accomplished, knowing that it's going to lead to greater fatigue in the morning and reduce significantly my chances of getting up bright and early and spending fresh time with the Lord through His Word----or do I trust what He says in His word that the Lord gives rest to his children? I will lay down in peace, says the psalmist.

My litmus test is becoming, "have I put in a full 18 hours? Did I give it my all for 75% of the day? If so, then it's ok to turn in. For tomorrow will follow shortly enough, with a fresh dose of pressures, opportunities, challenges, and issues. Another 18 hours.

Well, in my case, I've got 30 minutes left, and 15 of those will be spent blogging.

So anyhow, onto a totally different subject, I've been thinking a great deal about seminary again. Our church's inhouse training program is looking to take the final steps this fall in reaching full accredidation for an M.Div program. It's a HUGE step to consider, with countless factors that would need to come into place. I can already envision the checklist of questions my dear friend Joel Button is going to pose to me (love ya, Joel!). But I sense a stirring coming freshly from within. Part of my drive, no doubt, is to escape the secular grind in the marketplace.

But at the same time, it IS different this time (we first entertained the idea after my job ended at Wilson Learning last September). For one, both Erica and I are much more at peace about the idea. And the affordability of the TBI program is most definitely compelling. Finally, I am getting the strong sense that Jesus is NOT going to reveal His full, holy plan to me at the near side of seminary---he will reveal His plan as I go through the process. Little by little, bit by bit, piece by piece, day by day, class by class, semester by semester.

So who knows. First, we need to get my Mom moved into Assisted Living, and I need to get caught up on our budgeting and financial planning, we have a huge playset to move across town, my lawn is a mess, my daughters' bedroom needs painting, etc etc etc. And on top of that, I'm supposed to be learning Quickbooks so as to help with City Vision. I've got plenty upon plenty to keep busy with.

The man in the sandals with bloodstained brow

Another late night--just finished up washing the dishes after another long talk with my dear wife about opportunities/challenges before us in navigating our lives as parents and children of dependent parents...trying to make the best decisions, based on limited and incomplete information. Ah, the joys of adulthood...

But that's just a preamble (a rambling preamble, if you will). As the soapy water gurgled down the drain, I realized, "I've still got a little more energy left, and I have a desire to seek God in a deeper way, but I'm not sure how." I have dozens of different books I could read, I could pray, I could do more household chores, I could...and then it dawns on me, I could BLOG again!

So tonight, I wish to share perhaps my most controversial post: "Why I choose to follow Jesus instead of Mohammed." This subject is so huge and so deeply personal, it can't possibly be captured in one posting, so I will need to revisit this topic several times and try to explain what resides deep in my heart from many different angles. Call it a rich vein of sunken treasure (oil, coal, natural gas, diamonds, whatever) that needs to be tapped from many different angles to extract the true worth.

We started attending Bethlehem Baptist church in downtown Minneapolis about 3.5 years ago. Oh my goodness, what an utter JOY this has been for us. We feel such a close alignment with so many of their core theologies and priorities for ministry. The worship is so incredibly uplifting when the old hymns, which have carried saints through pilgrimage for centuries, are sung with faith and gusto!

This Sunday was another heavenly moment. Christ seemed so real and so majestic as we sang of the Cross (don't remember the song, just the thoughts that were stirred).

The amaing thing about the cross that rivets my heart to Jesus is unbelievable intensity of Christ's love which could ONLY be shown by his act of sacrifice. You don't go subject yourself to public ridicule, humiliation, unbearable scourging and crucifixion for kicks & grins. Jesus told us in John's gospel that he laid down his life of his own accord--no one takes it from him. Wow! Can you imagine that?! Mel Gibson's 2004 film The Passion of the Christ depicted this willing self-sacrifice well. Jesus was clearly CHOOSING to die for our sins---"Hallelujah, what a Savior!!" The book of Hebrews tells us, "for the joy set before him, Christ endured the cross, scorning its shame." For all his talk of peace, let's see the Dalai Lama take on THAT order! (I'm not meaning to offend unnecessarily, I just want to elevate the work which Christ did on the cross).

So back to this intensity--- I typically refer to this as savage intensity, but in the case of Jesus, it has to be called a holy intensity. This is the level of commitment that gets things done in this world, it's the kind that doesn't quit. Athletes know this. It takes intensity to play professional sports, let alone to win any kind of championship! It takes intensity to succeed in a Big 4 accounting Firm! It takes intensity to perservere as a small-town independently owned pharmacist for 25+ years (hats off to Mark Halmar!).

Intensity is what says, "This is hard, but I'm not quitting!" You've got to bring it on a little bit more to break my spirit!" That's what I mean by "intensity" (you may call it "competitiveness" or "killer-instinct" or what we Finns call "Sisu"). But in spite of all our human intensity, we all have reach our breaking points, sooner or later. Every one of us breaks down at some point.

I want to take just a moment to celebrate some who have demonstrated intensity in recent memory. I think of Cory Stringer, the Minnesota Viking lineman who died in training camp a few years back during the brutal heatwave of early August. They say he had chemicals in his body that contributed to his untimely demise----but think about it, here is a man who gave his life in devotion to the sport he loved. That's intensity! I think also of Todd Beamer, the man famous for leading the uprising against the 9-11 hijackers who helped bring the plane down in Pennsylvania, famous for his quote, "Let's roll." Here again is a man who gave his life to protect his country against people bent on killing. That is such an admirable intensity.

So with that being said, I want to say that I follow Jesus because His intensity brought about self-sacrifice and the shedding of his own blood. With every blow of the Roman whips, his testimony says loudly "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE THE FATHER! I AM SO COMMITTED TO THE FATHER'S WILL THAT I WILL LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, LITTLE FLOCK, AND SHED MY OWN BLOOD FOR YOU!" And most remarkable is the fact that Jesus DID NOT QUIT. He kept paying and paying and paying and laying down his life and bleeding, and holding back any form of retaliation until he could say with perfect integrity, "It...is...FINISHED."

Oh my, the weight and significance of those 3 single words!! And when it was finished, HE was finished--done-for, dead, down-for-the-count, no more. "He left it all on the field," as athletes will say. But there wasn't any shower in the lockerroom, he was DEAD, done-for, FINISHED.

Please realize, if we are the "bride of Christ"---this was Jesus' "proposal" to us, to woo us, to demonstrate his holy commitment to us. To put it in an Eastern context, this was Jesus "bride-price" paid to earn the right to bring us to himself. Wow! That's commitment! It's intensity! He gave it all and didn't hold anything back for himself. Try that one on for size, grooms and groom-to be (self-included!!).

Ok, so let's compare that the intensity of the followers of Mohammed. Oh yes, it takes intensity and radical commitment to lay down your life for the cause of any religion, no doubt. I'm not saying that the jihadist is cowardly. You can take nothing away from a willingness to die for one's religion. It takes more courage than I possess on any given day to march straight into a marketplace with bombs strapped to my body and willingly pull the trigger.

But let's think about this for a second. In jihad, you demonstrate your commitment to the cause by spilling the blood of infidels (and shedding your own in the process, but that's not the main point).

In Christianity, you demonstrate your commitment to the cause by laying down your life and shedding your own blood, and not retalliating.

Which would you rather have? Advance your cause by killing others, IE: to die so that others can be killed, or advance your cause by laying down your own life, IE: to die so that others can live?

Your answer reveals your heart's belief about Christ.

And that's why I choose to follow Jesus and not Mohammed. May I die an infidel's death for that belief, never lifting a hand against those who spill my blood.

That's my gal! - Part 1

I want to take a moment to brag on my wife for everyone to read.

Our lives are exceedingly counter-cultural, even against the popular tide of Christianity in America. For starters, we have 5 kids. You should hear people's reactions at my work when they learn we have 5 kids. (Admitedly, part of the shock comes from the fact that I look so young). This goes so against the grain where the prevailing opinion of our neo-Socialist culture is: "2 kids at most. Population-control!!"

Ok--I'm gonna dive into some deep waters of controversy here and just state my opinions plainly. In my work, I am surrounded by a lot of corporate women. In fact, there is a massive initiative for promoting women and supporting women in the workplace. As a former feminist, this all seems good-and-healthy-and natural, right?

Well, here's where I get to brag on my wife. She is a very smart, focussed, disciplined woman. She could do very well in the corporate world if she put her mind to it, as many women have. In fact, she could probably do "better" than me and achieve far greater success than me.

What has my wife invested all those great talents and energies in? A thankless, disappearing, low-esteemed 7-24-365 job of MOTHERING 5 kids under the age of 9! She changes hundreds of diapers (cloth, I might add, and rinses them out by hand!), fixes hundreds of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, listens to and breaks-up hundeds of sqabbles and fights over toys, corrects hundreds of bad attitudes, washes hundreds of dishes, wipes hundreds of runny noses, changes hundreds of sheets that got stained by nighttime accidents,...and misses hundreds of more "fun" and exciting opportunities to see plays, go to beaches or malls, have long visits with friends over coffee, etc. She even misses church when a child is sick and needs extra rest.

Does my wife EVER complain about her life? Does she EVER say, "Dan, I wish I was working back at XYZ corporation, like I was back before Nicolas was born..." My wife is so incredible that she never, and I mean NEVER has uttered a word of complaint, like she feels her talents are being wasted and is simply "withering on the vine" while being "stuck" at home. Oh yes, the days get long---she won't deny that. The weariness is thick, to be sure. But my incredible jewel of a wife has said times without number that she feels "called" to this life, and by God's grace is flourishing and thriving in it more and more each passing year.

Did I mention that on top of all the aforementioned realities, she homeschools as well! So she not only does all the care for the littlest ones (age 1 and 3), but also juggles in teaching and instruction for our 3 oldest (age 9, 7, and 5) to boot.

Ok, are you ready to REALLY get blown away?
She says that she can't WAIT to have another baby!


So, are we nuts? No, I'm just so incredibly blessed beyond anything I deserve to have such a wife.

My time is up, and there is much more to write.
My aim isn't to tear down corporate or career-minded women. My purpose is rather to hold up the stellar example of my wife for all to see and admire. Frankly, I don't think even a CEO can hold a candle to my wife.

More to be said on this subject.

05-Nov-2008

Ok--I'm just gonna come out and make my prediction for the reality we will wake up to in less than 6 months. On November 5, we will have elected Barack Obama as our President, and thereby hampering our longstanding support for the nation of Israel, and thereby sealing our fate as a world leader.

I'm not typically that bold with predictions, but I'm attempting to turn over a new leaf of boldness in writing this blog.

Am I saying Mr. Obama is anti-semitic? No? A radical Muslim terrorist? Absolutely not. All I'm saying is that the entire WORLD current is moving against Israel, and I see nothing in Barack Obama which tells me he has the inclination to stand AGAINST the world's prevailing opinion against Israel. I see him as sympathetic toward "the Palestinian cause--siding with those poor oppressed people against those mean bullies of Israel.

Again, I'm not painting Barack Obama as a bad person. To the contrary, I kinda like the guy. But I just get this sense that he has no real heart to stand for Israel, particularly if doing so would stand in the way of "improving America's standing among the rest of the world's leadership."

Let's face it, the vast majority of American's HATE this war. Nothing has stirred up America since Vietnam like the war in Iraq. People want the war ended NOW, no matter what the cost. They want to be "liked" again as Americans. They want us to regain our place of prominence and prestige and popularity in the world's stage once again. Barack Obama promises to deliver that hope--and people are turning out by the boatload to buy into that promise.

And if the world says: "Get out of the Middle East"--Barack Obama and the Democratic ruling majority will waltz out promptly. It's what they have wanted since the war began in 2003. Nothing else makes sense.

And once we pull out of Iraq, the next step will be to systematically pressure us to withdrawing our support of Israel, if only to further the objective of "increased peace in the Middle East." Again, this is what Americans WANT, right? Peace, right? Bring the troops home, right?

I'm no expert in Israeli-American relations. For all I know, Israel itself may be wishing to distance itself from "the evil empire" of Bush's America!

I gladly welcome any educating you readers (all 2 of you, heehee) have to offer.

So anyway, my times up, and that's my politcal insight for today

I'm sitting down to enjoy my favorite Sunday night ritual---listening to, of all things, Pipe Organ music on Minnesota Public Radio (Pipe Dreams, sponsored by American Public Media).

My wife just refered me to a book that I want to check out sometime, "Crunchy Con" by Rod Dreher. I'll let the author speak to his own book rather than recreate the review. It's as I was telling my friend Dean Malley today, I've got to blog someday about why I can neither subscribe wholly to either the Left nor the Right on the political spectrum. My King is Jesus---and there's a LOT he said that would fit squarely in the Democratic camp. Jesus was rescuing blatant sinners and society's scum from the Religious Right--the absolute purists. Read the Gospels, his harshest condemnations were reserved for the religious hypocrites of his day---and said that repentant sinners were welcome in God's kingdom. Since I'm only allowing myself 15 minutes to write, I won't take the time to look up all the references. That will need to come later.

But as you know, Jesus wasn't just a liberal hippy, either. (No offense to any hippies reading this post). He talked a lot about HELL. He said if your eye causes you to lust, pluck it out and throw it away because it's better to enter into heaven (implied---by your purity and astinence from sexual sin and lust) than to be thrown into hell with both eyes intact (implied---by continual lust and sexual sin---rightfully receiving JUDGEMENT).

So the reality is, Jesus expects pure living of his followers. But the reality is, we only get the power to resist sin by the indwelling of the holy spirit, so that HE, not us, gets the glory.

Now how did I get into religion when I started talking politics? Simple. For me, the two are inherently intetwined. You can't have one without the other. In fact, your politics is nothing more than an OUTFLOW of your religious conviction. If you believe man is inherently good, that God is uninvolved in human affairs, or non-existant, than you're going to carry out a political ideology and agenda that reflects that religous belief. If God is Sovereign Lord and redeemer of penitent sinners and will one day come to judge the living and the dead, you're going to carry out an completely different political idealogy and agenda.

Again, 15 minutes doesn't give me time to go any deeper than that.

That's why I'm a political moderate. George W. used the term "compassionate conservative" in 2000, and it probably best describes my view now...no matter how much that term is reviled by the likes of ultra conservatives.

Final word--I'm thinking of voting for the Constitution Party this election.
My real ambition is to launch an internet campaign called JCin08, but I don't think I have enough time.

Speaking of time, mine is up for today.

Amazing! Miraculous!

I have decided to make it my goal to blog for 15 minutes each day as an exercise of concise, consistent writing.

In an unusually balmy February, 2002, I finally dusted off the cover of an old book I had received several years earlier. At the time, I was working as on the administrative team of a cutting-edge Gen-X church for singles and college-students, one of the first of it's kind, in Minneapolis. The book was sent to me in the mail, adorned with a simple post-it note saying something profound like: "I thought you might enjoy this." I don't even remember exactly who is was that sent me the book in plain brown paper, other than his name was also "Dan." But I'm terribly indebted to that man named Dan, for my life has never been the same since reading that short book.

The book is "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannon, founder and director of Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org). I warn you, should you dare to pick up this book for yourself, your Christianity may never be the same.

At this point, I need to change tone, and jump forward from a poetic introduction and speak squarely from my heart. True to my promise, I only have a few more minutes to write, and I want to capture the important thoughts without a lot of dry background.

Here's the deal--I try to think as much as possible as a "global Christian" and try to envision what God is doing with His Church across the entire planet. You may find this offensive, but I have determined in my heart that the high point of the North American church has passed, and it is time for us Americans to be aiming ourselves to the next wave and generation of Christian Growth across the globe. Guess what, it's not in America.

No, I'm not denying that God can't bring about pockets of revival, dotting the American landscape here and there.

But here's where I need to defer to Brother K.P.'s book---I urge you to read it. GFA will send it to you for FREE off many websites, such as Crosswalk.com, or their own website. Why, I ask you, do we need to pour out enormous gobs of energy in trying to win a sated, cynical crowd of Americans who reject the gospel time after time, when HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people who have never even HEARD the name Jesus in the Indian subcontinent are so desperate to hear Good News that they are now coming to Him, often just from hearing radio programs. God is affirming his might in Asia by miracles, signs and wonders.

In North America, we spend thousands of dollars to make slick, cool, pyrotechnic programs to attract people who don't really care. Yes, God cares for North Americans. He cares for your neighbors, relatives, and friends.

But when life is so short and precious, why are we "wasting" time (please excuse me if this is offensive) trying to "win" the same people time and time and time and time and time and time and time and time again without number...when all it takes is a tract, a conversation, or a radio program in Asia, and ENTIRE VILLAGES come to know and worship Christ our Saviour.


Jesus wants the gospel to go into the entire world. GFA is doing it. I want to join them.


My 15 minuts are up. More tomorrow.

Breaking Champagne

SMASH! CRASH! shattered glass EVERYWHERE!!

That's what they do to christen new ships on their maiden voyages--break a bottle of champagne over the hull of the ship. So that's what we're doing here. Just getting started. Nothing too profound at this hour of the night.

I chose this title for a couple of reasons:
1. My first choice was taken. Congratulations to "Erin" for beating me to the punch for the title "Hope Restored." Oh well, such is life.
2. My second choice, "Wisdom of Solomon" seemed too pretentious. Who am I to claim Solomon's wisdom??
3. I knew that I wanted a blog that mixed a quest for wisdom and understanding with some tongue-in-cheek humor in an attempt to resist the temptation to take anything too seriously. Life is serious and somber enough. I need laughter. I hope this title makes you snicker or giggle as much as it does for me.

So anyway, that being said, here is my attempt:
1. To publish some thoughts that percolate in the ol' noggin' for a good long while. I don't want to be reactionary, but confess that I might err on the side of impulsiveness at times.
2. To improve my writing--an key ambition of mine. As my friend, Dr. John Mayer says, "Readers are leaders and writers are fighters." That's why I invite your feedback. I need to learn how to be more CONCISE, so please help me.
3. To fight some fights that deserve to be fought. But, oh, how I long to fight with dignity and respect and love.

Fair enough?
Thanks for joining me!

PS:
Thanks to Joel Button and his dear wife for spurring me on to FINALLY undertaking this abmition I've had for the past 4-5 years! And thanks to my dear wife, Erica as well.