One Story: Prelude

“Romeo! Oh, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo?!”  Even if you never read the play Romeo and Juliet, you recognize it and, likely, you know that it is a story about two young lovers, doomed from the beginning and that it was written by William Shakespeare. If you have read the play, then you can attest to the underlying themes and bold statements made in Mercutio’s speech, the Friar’s discourse, and all the other details that, by themselves, mean nothing but within the context of the greater work of the play become powerful social statements that challenged the status quo of the day.

It may surprise you to learn that we can study the Bible as a piece of literature, too! And why wouldn’t we? After all, God is the ultimate Author and it is the same Spirit that inspired each and every human hand that contributed to the various books that make up the bible. It is amazing what we find when we step back from the up close study of each individual story in the bible and see them all as parts of One Story (scholars call this the metanarrative). We find that it isn’t a book of stories about people but a book about God and who God is- recorded page by page as He slowly reveals Himself to a people over the generations. The Bible is the sum of these records and so much more- it is the story of God.

How does studying the bible this way benefit us? When we know the major themes of the bible- God’s love for us, our own freewill, the enemy’s continuing attempt to separate us from God and keep us in rebellion, and God’s plan to rescue us from our own bad choices - then we can make sense of those passages in the bible that don’t seem to ‘fit’. The ones that make us scratch our heads and say, “But I thought God was a god of love!”. I’m sure you’ve run across a few, especially if you’ve ever read the Old Testament!  

confession time

Depression is consuming and elusive. My day can be moving along at a fine pace and I remember to thank God for the sunshine and the butterflies and the way the specks of dust catch the sunlight and sparkle like little faeries in a wooded glade.  I can lie down at night, safe in the knowledge that I have a good husband, fine sons, and a good life. Then everything falls into nothing and its all I can do to whisper, “Jesus, save me!” before losing myself to the vortex in my soul. These moments come on me with all the violence of a storm and I can't breathe. They pummel me from the inside- roaring to get out, to find some expression, to be free. I cannot describe it better than a struggle for my very existence, clawing and screaming my way back- denying this monster, this enemy, the satisfaction of another moment’s conquest. Yes, living with depression is a struggle that happens from moment to moment. Sometimes I am tempted to believe this lie that I am alone but then Jesus comes. Jesus comes and saves me in the dark. He sets me back on the solid ground of his love and, for another moment, I am safe in his presence once more. 

Somewhere in the world tonight there is a sister who needs to know. You are not alone. You are not broken because you struggle with this melancholy. God loves you and rescues you. The LORD has overcome and the LORD is overcoming. 

Thought of the Day

Did you know that the word holy was originally used to refer to temple prostitutes? These women and, yes, men were set apart for service to their god and use by any who would petition their god’s divine intervention. Remember this next time you are tempted to withdraw from the world in order to pursue ‘holiness’.  To be holy is not to be apart only but to be set apart in service to our god wholly and completely. It is to be used up to our uttermost by Him while ministering to any who would petition His divine intervention.

thought of the day

Inside a tiny acorn lies a great oak, slumbering until surrounded by the soaking presence of the rains. How my soul is like the tiny acorn! Slumbering and silent, helpless against this world until the Spirit of God surrounds me with His presence and awakens me to the possibilities of life, of growth, of strength! May we always long for the Presence of God, may we always – like the acorns and the oaks- drink in the rain with abandon and learn to plant our roots deep in the soil of the Word of God for without both the deepening and the drinking, there is no growing toward the light of the Son.

thought of the day

Regret is the idol of the past and worry is the idol of the future but the only way to worship a present God is to remain in the now. After all, He is big enough to redeem both the past and the future when we seek Him today.

thought of the day

To say, "God healed me" in our post-modern society is a difficult thing and often requires courage. Most of our friends, after hearing that, look on us as if we are slow-witted and to be pitied or, worse, under-educated and un-discerning of the 'logical' processes by which we are now well. This is because, though we are taught that the simplest answer is often the truest, we are also taught that God does not qualify as a simple answer.

cancer sucks

A good friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer this week and as I was praying for her I asked God if He wanted me to tell her anything. Immediately, Isaiah 43:2 came to mind:

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

She was encouraged and, while that was the point and I am glad, there is more to this verse than comfort - there is a warning implicit. Nestled between the promise that God is with us is a promise that there will be fire, there will be frightful, painful things ahead. Just because we are not burned doesn’t mean that we aren’t melted down to the very essence of who we are. That can be a scary thing and I fear for my friend, though I know she will be the better person for this eventually because she truly loves our God. I guess you could say that, more than fear for my friend, I fear for other Christians in her place.

So often we hear it preached from the pulpit that God is the smart choice, the easy choice, the happy choice, and for just the price of a prayer we can have peace, joy, and contentment in our lives. It is shameful how the church has turned those valuable gifts into market buzz words and completely lost their intended meaning. We pitch Christ like one would pitch their wares at the market, or a late night infomercial.

Christ didn’t live an easy life. He certainly didn’t live a peaceful life, not in the modern vernacular. He didn’t sell himself, either. He knew that his life was hard and he warned others as they considered entering into it. Ever tried to warn someone against becoming a follower of Christ? Jesus did. "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Mt 8:20)

What would happen if we started getting honest with our friends? Christianity doesn’t make everything better, it isn’t a magic potion that cures all ills and loneliness. Christians get tired, they get sick, they die. While we are tired, sick, and dying we are called to live like He did giving our lives away to those around us. We are called to love God enough to live by His standards and to do it cheerfully, even when we are waiting to learn if we have cancer. We are called to live in this world and love those around us, even after we get a flat tire and the bank deposits our check into the wrong account. We are called to hold our tongues when we are wronged and not gossip in the workplace, or anywhere else. In many ways, becoming a Christian makes one’s life more difficult! The main difference is this: Those who put their trust in God develop the capacity to carry those burdens as if they were 'easy' and 'light' not because they are but because He is our sustainer. He sends something that we call peace: the ability to live through the brokenness without being broken. He sends something we call joy: the ability to recognize the reality of a painful situation and still find happiness in the sunshine and butterflies in spite of the clouds and the wasps. My other friend Kami says it is precisely that challenge that makes living like Christ so attractive. I think I agree.

I really don’t know where this is going, except to say that I’m glad my friend is a woman who understands that she has hard times ahead but, in spite of that, God will sustain her. The waters she is about to enter will try to pass over her head but God will keep her afloat. And when she looks into the fire, she will find who she truly is- stripped down to her elemental behaviors and her default thought patterns and then she will melt into the shape that God has called her because the fire will melt down any last vestiges of HER strength and force her to rely on God’s. Knowing her, she will lean into the process and welcome God changing her with open arms because she trusts Him. Just wait and watch, though - through this and on the other side, she will touch others lives by the way she lives through the storm and praises God for the tiny pieces of beauty she sees when the lightning flashes.

That is the secret strength of a disciple of Jesus Christ.