Agur's world, and ours

This morning I read Proverbs 30, which is titled, 'The words of Agur son of Jakeh.'

There are a lot of metaphors and images in this chapter, and I can't say I understood them all. But what really stood out to me was how so many different aspects of life attract Agur's thought and reflection. In this one chapter, he gleans insight from an eagle in the sky, a ship on high seas, a man with a virgin, ants, rock badgers, locusts, lizards, strutting roosters and a bloody nose. Apparently, he sees all of life as having the potential to teach him spiritual lessons.

This attitude toward the world is one thing that motivates me to write on this blog. In the last few months, I've written about Miles Davis, abortion, Dave Matthews, LeBron James, Brad Lidge, Coldstone Creamery, marriage, John and Kate Plus 8, Elephants and dogs, politics, death, toilet paper, rainy days, The Iron Giant, mowing grass, Michael Phelps' bong, Penn State basketball and Barbie.

I write about these things not because I think Jesus and the Bible are boring (I try to do my share of posting on these things too), but because I am really trying hard to live the way Agur models for us: thinking carefully about all of life with a God-centered perspective.

God created the world to display who He is and what He's like, and we do well to contemplate all things (even bloody noses and toilet paper!) in view of His glory and grace.

If I were the Phillies Team Chaplain...

True story: Michelle actually called the Phillies last year and asked them if they needed a chaplain. Believe it or not, they weren't interested in me! But if I did land that job, here's how I might minister to Raul Ibanez when the Phils' return home from their road trip tonight:

Raul, I hear there's a firestorm brewing because some blogger said that your amazing numbers this season are cause to question whether you're using steroids. And I also read that you were pretty ticked off at the blogger's lack of integrity in writing what he did without the slightest bit of evidence that you've done anything illegal.

But Raul, this gives you a wonderful opportunity to see and love the glory of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Jesus can empathize with your frustrations, Raul. He also was accused and slandered, though He had done nothing wrong.

But He did not lash out in anger at those who cruelly mistreated Him. He did not say, as you did, that He would come after anyone who slandered or defamed Him. He did not say they were pathetic and disgusting, as you did. Instead, He died for those who opposed and ridiculed Him. The Apostle Peter explains this all in the Bible:

22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:22-25).

When you grasp the wonder of Christ's love for you and see what He was willing to endure to atone for your sins against Him, you will not care so much what other people are saying and writing about you. You will know that you are loved and accepted by the King of the Universe, not because of your home runs or RBI's, but by sheer grace. And when others slander and falsely accuse you, you can seize these times as opportunities to point people to the One who suffered and endured reproach in order to give you the hope and joy of eternal life. I also tend to get frustrated when people say malicious things about me. But my only hope in those times is to remember that because of Jesus, I am more loved than I could ever imagine.

I am glad to have Raul Ibanez on my team. But I care more about his heart and his relationship with God than I care about his great stats and game-winning hits. So I am praying today for Raul, that maybe the Phils' chaplain will have something along these lines to share with him when he gets to the ballpark tonight.

The world's most popular Christian apologist?

In response to a statement that Jesus was one of the world's greatest thinkers, but it is far-fetched to say He is the Son of God, guess who said the following:

No, it's not far-fetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius.

But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No, I'm not saying I'm a teacher; don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I'm God incarnate'. And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the 'M' word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no, I know you're expecting me to come back with an army and se you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah.

At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is either Christ was who he said he was -- the Messiah -- or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking a nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's far-fetched.

Who is this world-renowned Christian apologist?

I guess Bono's read Mere Christianity.

The best words a husband can hear

In light of this post I wrote a couple of weeks ago concerning the temporary nature of marriage, I was incredibly humbled and delighted by these words of my beautiful bride, part of a poem she wrote to me for our fifth anniversary last week:

So when we come to the end of this life, and are no longer husband and wife

because we find ourselves before the only One whom we were made to adore,

please know this, my beloved, my friend: I’ll easily recognize His face

because you’ve daily displayed Him and positioned us under His sufficient grace.

With these words and in innumerable other ways, Michelle has made me a very happy husband.

Beginnings

A couple of weeks ago, at the recommendation of Justin Taylor, I purchased Fernando Ortega's double CD Beginnings. I've enjoyed Ortega's musical style for a few years, and after seeing that the 34-song double CD was available as an MP3 download for only $5.49, I couldn't resist.

After listening to the CD's a few times, I am quite happy with my purchase. There's a good blend of traditional hymns, instrumentals and a few songs in Spanish as well. Though I don't know any Spanish, I especially enjoy these songs. They are a reminder that Jesus is bigger than my own little world of Pitman, New Jersey.

The New Earth will be a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual celebration. As John writes in Revelation 7:

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'"

If you have an extra $5.49 sitting around, I'd recommend this double CD for sure. You can purchase the CD here (You can also listen to clips of the songs if you want to preview it first).

How did the editors miss this one?

"It was the worst possible mistake."

That's what Rich Evans, editorial manager of BYU's Daily Universe, said after a front-page caption referred to Mormonism's 'Twelve Apostates' rather than apostles.

A little Monday reading

I'm trying to keep my computer activity light today, so here is an article from this month's Christianity Today about Tim Keller, whose ministry has been of great benefit to me.

A lesson on hope, courtesy of Brad Lidge

As a Phillies fan, I'm getting a little tired of this picture: that's the face of Brad Lidge blowing yet another save.

Now I understand that Lidge went an unprecedented 48 for 48 in save opportunities last year, helping the Phils win the World Series for the first time since I was 3 years old. I wasn't expecting perfection this year. But I was expecting a little better than an ERA over 7.00 with 6 blown saves only two months into the season. After today's game, in which Lidge blew his second save in 18 hours, I was a bit irritated.

Actually, a lot irritated. Too irritated. This struck me for the first time a few weeks ago, after Lidge blew back to back saves against the Yankees. For about an hour after the game I was just in a funk. And by God's grace it dawned on me that this is the dumbest thing in the world to get bent out of shape about.

In the grand scheme of things, what is the point of getting so worked up about a ball game? Can a Phillies victory give me lasting rest of soul? Obviously not, since they just won the World Series 7 months ago and I'm still ticked off when they lose a game they ought to have won.

After the Yankees debacle a few weeks ago, the Lord brought to my attention this passage in Psalm 4:8,

In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

The word translated peace is the Hebrew word shalom, which I've written on before. Real peace -- perfect harmony with God, self, other people and the created world -- is found only in knowing that God alone is my security and safety. He is the only source of abiding hope. And that hope was purchased at the cost of the life of the Son of God. I am more wicked than I ever dared imagine, yet more loved than I ever dared hope. That is reason to lie down and sleep well at night, whether the Phils have won or lost. This knowledge (not just in the head, but in the depth of the soul) makes a blown save seem like what it really is: insignificant.

So starting tonight, I've resolved to begin and end every Phillies game I tune into with a brief prayer, in which I meditate on Psalm 4:8 and preach to myself that true peace is found not in the result of this game, but in the surpassing greatness of Jesus Christ.

Brad, thanks for being an instrument through which God has reminded me that my salvation is not found in a sporting event, but in Christ.

Now go out and actually close one out next time they hand you the ball, ok?

Don't Forget to Groan, 6/6

Cyclone Aila damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes in Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. Over 300 people are confirmed to have died, with more than 8,000 still missing. Here, two Bangladeshi women whose relatives fell victim to Cyclone Aila mourn in Nil Dumoor village in Shatkhira, Bangladesh.

(Why should we groan?)

What's the Difference?

If you had only one sentence, how would you describe the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian?

Leave a comment...

What the Gospel Produces

In Christ I could know I was accepted by grace not only despite my flaws, but because I was willing to admit them. The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.

Tim Keller, in The Reason for God, page 181

A blog day off for me...but not for you

Due to a busy schedule today, I won't be blogging. So how about taking the few minutes you usually spend reading this blog to leave a comment on this post or maybe this one?

The Gospel and the Gosselins

I have never seen an episode of John and Kate Plus 8, and would not recognize the couple if they walked into my house (well, at least not before I googled their name to get the picture in this post!).

But I found this article from Christianity Today quite interesting. Essentially, it's about the naivete of the Evangelical Church which played a large part in their rise to fame. Here's a quote:

It was not until the recent allegations of sexual impropriety arose that a significant number of Christians began to question whether Jon and Kate were indeed the examples of faithful living that we had imagined. Somehow most of us missed the long trajectory that was, day by day, moving them farther from a life of Christian virtue. Sexual immorality—whether actual or merely suspected—caught our attention, but the materialism, narcissism, and exploitation of children that preceded it was largely overlooked.

The breakdown of Jon and Kate's marriage is but a symptom of the larger weaknesses of ethics in the evangelical community. We are easily seduced by wealth and fame. We are easily contented by the shallow rhetoric of hot-button issues. In short, we are easily deceived by cultural values painted in Christian veneers (or clothed in Isaiah 40:31 T-shirts).

Read the whole thing here.

Was George Tiller Prepared to Face God?

I trust many readers have heard the reports out of Wichita that George Tiller, the well-known abortion doctor, was murdered yesterday at his church.

As Christians, we ought to strongly oppose this kind of violence, no matter how violent the victim himself was. Paul clearly instructs Christians to leave vengeance to the Lord (Romans 12:19), and this cold-blooded killer did not do that. Taking life as a protest to the taking of innocent life is wrong, and these types of acts are likely to be set-backs to the pro-life cause, as the media often highlight these stories instead of the many cases where pro-life advocates lovingly serve women who are considering or have had abortions.

In any event, what struck me in CNN's report of the murder was this quote from Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry. In condemning the murder, Terry went on to say, "We grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God."

I found this interesting, since Tiller was murdered while serving as an usher in his church, Reformation Lutheran Church. Terry assumes that because Tiller killed unborn babies, that his soul was not prepared to meet God. I take that to mean that Terry assumes Tiller was not genuinely a Christian, though he served in his local church.

Perhaps this is a right assumption; I am inclined to agree with him. I certainly would have strong reservations about welcoming George Tiller into membership in my local congregation. But is it possible that Terry is wrong in assuming that George Tiller was not prepared to face God yesterday morning? Could Tiller have been a Christian and continue to perform abortions for a living?

If Tiller had been a habitual gossip instead of a habitual murderer, would Terry have made the same remark? Is it right to condemn one sin as making a person unprepared to face God, while another sin (say, self-righteous condemnation of people who perform abortions) is not so bad that it makes us unprepared to face God?

I don't have definitive answers to all these questions; I'm just thinking aloud about these things. Readers, I am curious to know your thoughts...

Don't Forget to Groan, 6/1

Pakistani rescue workers look for trapped people in rubble of a building destroyed by an explosion in Lahore, Pakistan. Gunmen detonated a car bomb near police and intelligence agency offices in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, in one of the country's deadliest attacks this year.

(Why is it important to groan?)