So Maybe You Were A Jerk During The Election

Good afternoon folks. I want to thank you. I want to thank you each for the times you have chosen to overlook offenses throughout the past year, it has been to your honor and I am proud of you. Thank you the times you've avoided arguments over disputable matters (Rom 14:1), and have chosen not to judge your neighbor for his or her misdeeds, foul words, and misplaced votes. You have let your light shine (Matt 5:14).

You have also failed. You've been self-congratulatory (Rom 12:3). You've lost your temper (Eph 4:26). You've complained (Phil 2:14), served yourselves (Phil 2:3) and spoken thoughtlessly. You have judged your neighbors (Luke 6:37) and hated your enemies (Matt 5:44). Your limited goodness does not negate your misdeeds.

I'm right there with ya.  We're sinners living in a fallen world.  We mess up a lot, and our God is not amazed or surprised to that we fail and his love is so much greater than our failings.  Throughout our proud and pathetic moments God has remained and will remain good; his never fails (Ex 15:13). God goes to bat for us (1 John 2:1) and continues to guide our steps (Pro 16:9), answer our prayers (Jer 33:3) and cover over our sins. We've been busy for the past while, and life is about to get busy again. Take this comparatively calm moment to think clearly about how you've acted in the days leading up to yesterday's vote, and to understand beyond any shadow of doubt that in spite of anything you've said or done that here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst (1 Tim 1:15).  Etch that saying in your heart and I'm confident you'll have a better chance of not being a jerk in 2016.

Lovely And Excellent Vietnamese Coffee

 Photo by: Jean-Marie Hullot

I confess, I've turned up my nose at French Roast. I've just enjoyed every other kind of coffee more. There are so many stunning varieties of coffee that I've asked why “French Roast” is even a thing people drink. The answer is probably “The French.” Though this may be stereotyping, they're reputed to have some opinions about food.

Today I learned what French Roast Coffee is for. Mind you, I did not set out with the intention of buying or drinking the stuff. It sort of happened to me. A few weeks ago I worked a trial-shift at Zingerman's Coffee Company. It was great. I tried Liberica Coffee and Indian Coffee. I tried coffee's brewed brewed in fancy, simple and sciencey ways. I tried Vacume Pot, Espresso, Chemex and Pour over. I left with new knowledge and a notable caffeine high. Like coffee, new knowledge leaves me thirsty for more, so I went out and bought a Vietnamese coffee brewer.

I read articles, watched videos and determined that I had to buy coffee and sweetened condensed milk ASAP. The the tutorial that I found most helpful was by HighBeamFilms, but I'll give my recipe here. It is partially because I couldn't find brief instructions.

How To Make Vietnamese Coffee:

Start Boiling some water. 12 ounces is enough

Add 2-3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to a mug

Place your filter basket on top of your mug

Coarsely grind French Roast Coffee

Add 2 tablespoons of ground coffee to filter basket

Level out the grounds and tamp lightly

Splash coffee grounds with about an ounce of water

Wait 15 seconds

Fill basket with water

Put the lid on

Wait 5 minutes

Stir it

Love it

Come to my house and I will make you this coffee; the process is fun and the end product is sweet, creamy and strong.  

You may be wondering what this has to do with anything.  To which I can only say.  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things" -Philippians 4:8

Challenge:

Find something lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy and share it. Share it with your family, enemies and friends. Share it in real life. Share it online. Lets see if we can drown out some of the election-year negativity with some goddly excellence. Oh, and use the comments to let me know what you find excellent. Go!

For All My Friends With "Real Jobs"

Many of my friends wait tables.  One evening one such friend was serving a family that had an adorable little girl who, in the course of the meal, became fascinated and delighted with having a server. As my friend bid the family goodnight the girl told her parents, 

“I wanna be a waitress when I grow up” 

“Oh no, baby” her mom said, “You'll go to college and get a real job.”

It was a cold and tactless thing to say in front of a server with a four year degree.

Construction Worker by: wools

I currently have three part time jobs, one uses my BA.  These jobs probably wouldn’t fit that mother’s definition of “Real Jobs” But they're perfectly real.  They really take up time, really wear on my body, and I've really put up with some really rude people.  Yet as offensive as that mother was being, I’ve honestly caught myself using the same expression. 

When my friends and I use the expression “real job” we're usually daydreaming.  We’re talking about holding jobs that would only work us 40 hours each week, provide medical insurance, let us go to church on Sundays, and maybe pay enough to support a family. When we say “real job” we're fantasizing about finally and decisively breaking into the middle-class.  “Real Jobs” are something we search, pray, and wait for.  There’s nothing wrong with wanting those jobs, but I think we're mistaken to call them “Real.”  I have three real jobs now.  Real life has already started whether or not it's what we anticipated.

I am finishing up my last week in a professional ministry position and beginning a temp job at a mailorder company.  This is perfectly real, although it wasn’t a part of my plan.  Regrettably I’ve been letting the strain of circumstances dictate how joyfully I live my life.  Let me be frank: This is total crap.  Jesus didn't die for us so that temporal circumstances would get to tell us how happy we're allowed to be (Philippians 4:11-13).  Sure I’d like life to be better than it is.  Everyone wants that.

Literally every person in the world would like it if their life were better than it currently is.  This is important to remember because it shows that possessions, income, and status won’t automatically make us happy if we get them.  If they did then the rich people would all be happy.  They’re not.  With that knowledge in mind, we might as well find a way to enjoy life now.  If life improves, fine.  If it doesn’t we’ll at least have learned the right skills to deal with it.

Our joy in life is hugely affected by the attitudes we choose to practice.  My piano teaching mother taught me “practice makes perfect,” and though I didn’t quite believe her, practice did make “better.”  We can practice joy or we can practice grumbling, and we'll get better at whatever we practice.  If we wait for life to improve to practice joyfully thanksgiving, we won't have the skills to actually enjoy our success.  

So here’s my resolution:

I’m going to strive to thank God for every moment I get to be alive (1 Thess 5:18).  I’m going to work my heart out packaging delicious things at the mailorder company. I’m going to dance when I hear music.  I’m going to watch sunsets with my wife.  I’m going to smile at strangers and try to see the face of God in them.  I will forgive Ann Arbor drivers.  I will try not to one-up my friends when we vent about our hardships.  I'll brew beer when there is money and still share it when the money is gone.  I will go on walks this fall.  I will practice, and I will get better.

Challenge:

How do you practice joy?

Suffering Builds Character

Image by ephotography

When the zombie apocalypse comes Michiganders will be fine.  While the world goes into panic mode and civilization ends, we'll continue to produce cars, cereal, and muffin mix as though nothing changed. This is not because of our active para-military organizations, well armed gangsters, or our fondness for roughing it. No, it takes more than weapons and knowledge to weather a zombie apocalypse; it takes grit, something we've developed in large supply. We've learned how to push forward when we feel there's no reason to hope. Economic trials and countless bitter winters have ingrained this virtue in our bones so that in the bleakest of circumstances we will not give up. We have been conditioned to suspect that we may lose everything at a moment's notice, to hope we won't, and go on with life anyway.

Paul writes about being content regardless of his circumstances (Philippians 4:12), and to some extent I think you have to face serious hardships in order to learn this attitude. James and Paul both promises us that suffering produces character, perseverance, and hope (Romans 5:3-5, James 1:2-4). These verses do not always feel encouraging.  They feel like something Calvin's dad would say, but they're true. I know remarkable men and women of character, hope, and perseverance, and I've no doubt in my mind that it was their struggles that tempered them into the remarkable people that they are.

If you've read The Return of The King you remember how awesome the scourging of the Shire was. The Scourging of the Shire was a book-only adventure in which the hobbits returned to the Shire to find it overrun and enslaved. Merry and Pippin lead a revolt so swift and sudden that it barely occupied an afternoon. They wrecked their enemies in an instant, because after what they've been through there was nothing in the world that could have plausibly stood against them. This is what our hardships do to us, they build our character and turn us into warrior hobbits.

Challenge:

2 Corinthians 1 says that our suffering enables us to comfort others when they have trouble. Take a moment to consider that this is true for you and your own hardships. What trials are you facing today? How will God use those trials to produce character and hope? Know that God sees you in the midst of your hardship and is working it out for your benefit and his glory (Romans 8:28). Praise God for life's difficulties today; God loves you enough to turn you into a hero.

A Meditation For Peace Transcending Understanding

This week I rediscovered a wonderful spiritual practice that I would like to share with you. Worshipping the Lord can be joyfully all encompassing, but I personally have a very difficult time prying my attention away from all of the stressors in my life. Worries and fears steal our attention until it is hard to give the Lord our focus. I encourage you to find a quiet place, close your other tabs, and spend a little time entering into God's transcendent peace.

1. Find a Quiet Place.

   "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." -Matthew 6:6
2. Place your heavy concerns in God's hands (prayer and petition). Pray, “ Dear Jesus I give you ______.” Start with the big relationships, responsibilities, and ambitions. Feel yourself lighten as your burdens are lain down.

   "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." -Philippians 4:6

3. Place your lighter concerns in God's hands with the same prayer, “ Dear Jesus I give you ______.” Continue to feel your burden lifted

   "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" - Matthew 11:28

4. Place your blessing in God's hands with the same prayer, “ Dear Jesus I give you ______."

    "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Matthew 11:29

5. As you've surrendered your defence mechanisms and securities you may begin to feel vulnerable. When you're ready, and have laid down as many burdens as you can think of, lay down in the hand of God. Pray, “Dear Jesus I give you myself.” 

   "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” -Matthew 11:30

6. Rest here. (Be still and know . . . )

   "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" - Psalm 46:10

   
   

   

   Quiet, Please by: Umberto Fistarol

Concerning Demons

The forces of hell are a real thing. Scripture is not ambiguous about the existence of the devil and his devils. They exist today and I want to be exquisitely clear on one point in regards to these devils: They are unimportant. Faith in Christ is necessary for salvation; faith in devils is not. I have not observed that faith in devils is even beneficial. Those friends of mine who pay particular attention to scripture that concerns demons, usually have done so to their own detriment. I hope to briefly show here that no special study of demons is ever necessary.

This devil is so unimportant that a bird pooped on it.  Photo by eisenbahner

Imagine two young Christians are being demonically harangued in identical ways. What happens is this: when they retire to their bedrooms they are bombarded with anxieties about work and school, and they have no peace in mind or in body. At times they even hyperventilate and succumb to anxiety attacks. Lets say that between these two Christians, one believes in demons, and one of them does not. There is no compelling reason they need to behave differently in response to their problem.

The Christian who has faith in Christ but none in demons, if he or she is wise, ought to place each anxiety before the Lord in prayer (Philippians 4:6-7), and meditate on God's word (Psalm 1:2-3) so that he or she can take each thought captive (2 Corinthians 2:5). It may also be wise to read a pleasant book or decorate the room with a serene theme (Philippians 4:8). This first Christian, by acting in godly faith, and by putting the word into practice, will create an intolerable environment for hell's messenger. The unwelcome roommate will leave. 

The second person, believing in and recognizing a devil, should do everything the first Christian did. This second person, wise or not, may address the demon directly to declare Christ's lordship. If they do all that the first Christian did then it makes no difference, but if they neglect engaging with God through prayer and the word, then their exorcism will fail. A verbal declaration isn't necessary, and in some cases it may even be detrimental. If it is done without faith it is ineffective (Acts 19:13-15). If done with faith, but the Christan doesn't fill their heart with the things of God, then it will again be ineffective (Luke 11:24-26). An exorcism is either a reassuring but unnecessary addition, or it is a destructive distraction.

Scripture promises that if we resist the devil he will flee us (James 4:7). Resisting the devil comes quite naturally to a practicing Christian. Any pursuit of God is resistance to the devil. According to James 4:7, a thankful prayer should be as effective as an exorcism. A simple act of submitting to God will either be as effective as, or more effective than, a verbal “casting-out.”

Verbal exorcisms are carried out in a myriad of reasons, many of which are bad. In my experience exorcisms tend to be sensational and dramatic, inflating the importance of utterly insubstantial spirits instead of directing attention and glory to the Spirit of God. “Resisting the devil” is a natural byproduct of what we call, “following Jesus.” No special procedure is necessary to “cast out” a devil; all devils, real and imagined, readily flee from simple Christian living.

There is no reason to avoid exorcisms. Exorcisms, like demons, are not important. If it seems prudent, and you have faith, verbally declare God's dominion. We oughtn't hesitate to verbally declare God's dominion, whether or not we have a demonic audience. If, however, you have announced God's truth and power, but a devil persists in its pestering, it is silly to just make another speech. 

No one's speeches are effective if their works aren't convincing. Put God's word into practice. Praise your God. Think about something excellent and praiseworthy. Practice hospitality. Thank Jesus for something. Read the Bible, and mediate on it. Honor your parents. Consider the lilies of the field. Each of these is as or more effective in defeating the kingdom of hell. Having this thorough education on the subject, please go read something else today. Like demons and like exorcisms, this post is not important. Have a nice day.

Fifteen Verses That Combat Cynicism

Jesus came that we might have life and have it to the full (John 10:10).  Nothing in the world can compare with the satisfaction found in a fulfilled Christian life.  Regrettably cynicism and sarcasm can creep into our lives; however, as Christians we have unique power to resist this trend.  With the Holy Spirit within us, and plentiful reasons to rejoice we can change the world. Jesus Christ didn't die on the cross so that we could wag our heads and complain about what's wrong with the world. He came to redeem the world, and the world is being redeemed. If you've slipped into cynicism here are fifteen Bible verses that combat negativity. Follow the links to examine the context of these verses, or try meditating on one of them using Lectio Divina. May you find courage and empowerment.

Photo By Suzan Black

Fifteen Verses That Combat Cynicism

 

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:30

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

1 Peter 3:9

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31-32

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

Psalm 27:13

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

1 John 4:4

He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.

Acts 10:28

So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:6

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27