Conversations with Jesus

This is at least the third time I am reading this book, it's one of my favorites, yet I doubt that most people have heard of it. Most of the book is modern-day (or at least within the last 60 years or so) retellings of Jesus' parables. Because we don't have the same cultural understanding as the original hearers of the parables, we don't always get how radical the teachings were. Take for example, the parable of the "Good Samaritan." In our cultural context today, this is a common phrase, we have made it a part of our culture. However, the Jews of Jesus' day would never think of a Samaritan as good. To them, the Samaritans were the bad guys.

So, Harold Fickett, the author, put this in a more modern day, American context for us, where Korean-American husband and wife shopkeepers are robbed and attacked by some gang members. Then, a skinhead, a Jewish person and an African-American come to their aid, dial 911 and go with them to the hospital while working together to do so. Not so common, right? Not so expected, and that's the point. To just do what is expected of us, is not what Christ calls us to, He calls us to do the unexpected, to go above and beyond. To love people in such a way that it can't be missed, whether we agree with them or not.

Exodus + Jeremiah + the Holy Spirit = Conviction

When I am trying to drift peacefully off to sleep I listen to books in MP3 format. Right now, I am listening to the book of Exodus. In my reading of the Bible, I am reading Jeremiah. In Exodus the Israelites are getting the laws of God, in Jeremiah they are being warned of judgement for not following them. If you are like me, you might wonder how these ancient people didn't get it. How God could have been so involved with their lives, like leading them around the desert with a cloud and a pillar of fire, providing manna and quail for them, and parting seas, all these manifestations that could only be explained by a God who was gracious to them; and yet they didn't get it, they chose to worship other gods, they turned their back on the One who was their Creator and Sustainer in favor of a god that could do nothing for them at all, that was fashioned by their own hands.

So, as I am reading these things, and these thoughts come into my mind, the Holy Spirit brings to my mind things that God has done for me, in my life, in the lives of those around me and yet the many times that I didn't get it. The times where I didn't trust God, or felt that my way was better than His. And there have been many. Conviction. As I seek to serve God with my whole heart, life, I know that there will be many of these times. While they are difficult, I know that through it God is teaching me, He's bringing me closer to Him, closer to who He wants me to be. I want that, with all of my heart, mind and soul. I want Him to truly reign in me and in order to do that, I know that there must be conviction, there must be repentance on my part. How about you? Do you truly want God to reign in your heart and life?

Crazy Love

I have been reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love for a  Bible Study that I actually haven't gotten to attend yet. Every week that I have been available (as in not in Trenton), they have not held the Bible Study, because everyone else was not. But, hopefully, I will get to meet to discuss the book with them sometime, but in the meantime my readers get to read my thoughts. The book is all about how much God loves us and how that should shape our response to Him. We often take God for granted, we comfort ourselves by saying that God  understands, that He is gracious and merciful as if these things are an excuse for not following Him with our whole lives, not loving Him with all we've got. The Bible also states that God is jealous. He refuses to make us worship Him, but He it has to cut Him so deeply when we choose to worship someone or something else. You see a god doesn't have to another god in the traditional sense, as in Buddha or Allah or Shiva. It is simply someone or something that we put before God. When we are honest with ourselves, we are guilty of that on a fairly regular basis.

How often do you choose to do something other than spend time with God? How often do you knowingly do something that you know God would disapprove of? If you are like me, it's more often than you'd like to admit. And like Chan, I don't want that to make you stop trying, or to discourage you, or to make you simply try harder. It's not about trying harder, it's about loving more. Think about someone you love, a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend, etc. while yes, you will hurt them or let them down some times, but by and large, you want to spend time with them, you want to do nice things for them, you want to show them that you love them, to tell them that you love them. Do we make that effort with God or is He somewhat out of sight, out of mind?

Chan spends the first three chapters explaining how much God loves us, maybe in a way that you've never thought of before. Read it, think about it, let it permeate your life and your response will never be the same.  You will desire to shout it from the mountain top, and live it out in your everyday life. To love extravagantly, with every ounce of energy, with every moment that you have. No, that doesn't mean that you can do nothing but read the Bible, because as we love the people in our lives, both those we like and are easy to love those we don't like so much and harder to love, we are loving God.

Atlas Shrugged, cont'd

As I read what I wrote yesterday, I thought it might be a bit unfair to my husband. While, he will be the first to tell you that he wholeheartedly agrees with Rand's statement and premise, I know that at least sometimes, when it comes to me, he doesn't follow it. I recently moved to Topeka, KS after he moved here about 5.5 months ago to start a new job. He hated the last job, but we've moved 4 times during our almost 9 year marriage (tomorrow), each time to a different state and he knew I didn't want to move again. We'd boughten a house for the first time, one that is still for sale six months after it was listed. We weren't in love with the town that we lived in and I didn't have a great job, but we were there, in home we could do what we wanted with. He tried to stick it out, even though he was miserable, was working all the time, his hours got shifted around all the time and his boss was a jerk. He was so miserable that I was about to tell him on a Sunday, when I finally got to spend more than a few minutes with him, to start looking for a new job, when he came home on Thursday and said that it was probably over. I can't say I was too sad, in fact I can recall writing "I can hear Ben laughing for the first time in a long time, so I know that this cannot be all bad," very shortly afterwards I knew that it meant we would probably have to move, as we lived in a very rural area, but I had already come to terms with that. I also knew that I had never seen him more miserable and that he was hanging on for me. It was so bad he went to see a Psychiatrist at one point. His advice? "Quit your job, it sucks, and you're not unreasonable, your boss is." Thanks, we already knew that. Have you seen the job market lately? I don't care what Obama says, it's not getting that much better. Quitting means moving, moving means we both have to get new jobs and try to sell our house. But, that's what we ended up doing. Well, he got a new job and then he moved, I finished out what I had committed to and now I'm still looking. God has a plan, I don't know it, but I know that He does. I also know that we are a lot happier here and life is a lot more peaceful, even with the uncertainty.

Reading Notes

I've been reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged for longer than I care to admit now. It's one of my husband's favorite books and he's been asking me to read it for at least 10 years. So, once I exhausted most of the other books we owned and needed a new book to read I finally picked it up. It's not my favorite book, by any means, but I am now in part 3 and have roughly 350 more pages to go. I understand Rand's reasoning for her version of utopia, but have serious issues with her principle statement, "I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine." My husband and I have argued this out several times, once on facebook, until we deleted it all because it got too private for the world to see. In fact, when I read this sentence a couple of nights ago, I felt compelled to write out how I saw things. These four statements are what I came up with:
1) I believe that my words and actions have consequences far beyond my understanding, thus it is my aim that in each word spoken and each deed done I would consider this.
2) I believe that I am called to serve humanity with love and honesty because we are all created in the image of the Father.
3) I believe that I cannot do this on my own, it is the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, who is in me, that allows my hands, feet, and mouth to do this work.
4) I believe that serving Christ, and thus people, is a calling to which I am privileged and not worthy, but by God's grace.

My point of view, of course, will be more honorable and closer to the truth to me simply because it is my point of view but I am curious what others will think? Feel free to comment. :-)