Real quick, before we get to the News of the Week, I'd like to give a big shout out to everyone for checking out the blog. I just got my 2,000th hit yesterday. OK, so maybe that's not a lot for a full year, but, hey, it's something. Here's hoping we'll get another 2,000 hits in the year ahead ... after all, that's 2,000 people who can hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace ...
Wiccan symbol OK on military headstones (MSNBC)
The Wiccan pentacle has been added to the list of emblems allowed in national cemetaries and on government-issued gravestones of fallen soldiers.
Well, at least they're not taking all the crosses down ... not to give them any ideas, mind you. I just hope no one from the ACLU is reading.
Norwegian Church Aid Bringing Water to Haiti (Christian Today)
Norwegian Church Aid, a non-profit Christian group, is finalizing plans to dig 40 wells in Haiti, supplying water to 70,000 residents, a project that will cost the equivalent of $1.7 million.
Two thoughts here: first, it's a blessing to see that after the domestic turmoil and bloodshed that's taken over Haiti in recent years -- really, just the latest in a bloody history there -- Christians are able to move back in and get back to the work of being Christ's hands and feet in what is one of the world's most needy nations. I have some dear friends who have gone on numerous missions trips there, and my wife and I would love to go with them some day.
Second, the city in which I live, Charleston, West Virginia, has an estimated 51,176 people. Few, if any, are without running water ... yet in Port-Au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, digging wells to add water to 70,000 people is just scratching the surface of their need. Most of us cannot fathom the level of poverty that exists in Third World countries ... and I would suspect most of us don't want to know, either.
Asking Why (Christianity Today)
Christian Fellowship helps survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting deal with larger issues
God did not walk into a Virginia Tech classroom and kill 30-some students with two handguns.
Briefly ...
So Al Gore is blasting Canada for that country's new plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a plan that officials there say will reduce emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020. Problem is, that country signed the Kyoto Protocol, agreeing in 1997 to cut emissions by five percent lower than 1990 levels by the year 2012. Guess what Canada's current emissions levels are, according to the Associated Press? It's 30 percent above 1990 levels. And, in a story in E/The Environmental Magazine, most signatories to the Protocol won't meet the new standards to which they agreed, including Japan. The U.S. did not sign the agreement ... Mark Driscoll, of Mars Hill Church, is in the middle of some controversy again, this time the result of a public rift between his church planting network, Acts 29, and the Southern Baptist Convention. There are a number of issues at play here, and I won't weigh in ... I'm not in the loop and don't want to make any judgements on who is right or wrong. Read for yourself. Driscoll's account is here and you can read the SBC position here.
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99 balloons
Do yourself a favor and grab a tissue ... right now. Then, if you have a healthy child, praise God right now.
2007-04-26
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More links
Congratulations to Aaron Shust, who won three Dove Awards Wednesday night -- best new artist, best song and best songwriter.
I had a chance to spend a weekend with him as part of The Outpost, a men's ministry his friend, Jim Eaton, runs out of Atlanta. Every summer they invite a bunch of guys to get out in the wild, enjoy good music, conversation and a chance to reconnect with God amid His creation. The ministry's website is here.
Anyway, Shust turned out to be a great guy, of course. It was nice to sing and praise God while he led worship with his guitar. He sang most of the songs from his Anything Worth Saying album -- which is phenomenal, by the way -- around a campfire one night and told us the inspiration around each song. It was quite a cool experience.
By the way, he has a new album coming out. You can pre-order an autographed copy by clicking here.
For those of you who listen to K-Love, it just finished its spring fundraising drive, and fell short of its goal. So, how about heading over to the website by clicking here and making a monthly pledge. Or, if you can't make that commitment, maybe you can make a one-time donation.
Finally, if you live in West Virginia, you should be aware that on June 9 there is a local referendum on whether to legalize table games at the state's four racetracks. Please take action to ensure this doesn't pass. There's a group called the West Virginia Values Coalition that's leading the fight ... so visit their website to see what you can do to help.
I'll be writing more about this issue in the coming days.
Grace and peace ...
2007-04-23
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So Sunday was Earth Day, which means you should take that can of Coke you're drinking and drop it in a recycling bin.
And, yes, yes, yes, you should buy those new, expensive "green" lightbulbs that look like a kid's crazy straw, turn the lights off in a room you're not using, carpool if you can ... the list goes on.
Of course, you should do those things anyway, Earth Day or not, and even if you don't agree with the alarmist attitudes of those on the political left.
Regardless of intentions, social responsibility is hip. Never mind the fact that Christ started it all and that, at times, it seems celebrities have co-opted Christ's message. "American Idol" is getting into it, for crying out loud, with something called "American Idol Gives Back," which is a show tonight with a bunch of people all getting onstage and showing just how altruistic they all are -- just so long as you photograph them from their good side.
Angelina Jolie has a heart for Third World children. Dr. Phil campaigns for the Salvation Army. Julia Roberts is concerned about something called Rett Syndrome. Name a celebrity, they have a cause.
Like Melissa Etheridge. A few days ago, I posted the lyrics to her Oscar-winning song, "I Need To Wake Up," which I found exceedlingly curious because, to me, it sounds like your garden-variety Christian song. It's almost a call to salvation. Check a few out:
I need to wake up
So Sunday was Earth Day, which means you should take that can of Coke you're drinking and drop it in a recycling bin.
And, yes, yes, yes, you should buy those new, expensive "green" lightbulbs that look like a kid's crazy straw, turn the lights off in a room you're not using, carpool if you can ... the list goes on.
Of course, you should do those things anyway, Earth Day or not, and even if you don't agree with the alarmist attitudes of those on the political left.
Regardless of intentions, social responsibility is hip. Never mind the fact that Christ started it all and that, at times, it seems celebrities have co-opted Christ's message. "American Idol" is getting into it, for crying out loud, with something called "American Idol Gives Back," which is a show tonight with a bunch of people all getting onstage and showing just how altruistic they all are -- just so long as you photograph them from their good side.
Angelina Jolie has a heart for Third World children. Dr. Phil campaigns for the Salvation Army. Julia Roberts is concerned about something called Rett Syndrome. Name a celebrity, they have a cause.
Like Melissa Etheridge. A few days ago, I posted the lyrics to her Oscar-winning song, "I Need To Wake Up," which I found exceedlingly curious because, to me, it sounds like your garden-variety Christian song. It's almost a call to salvation. Check a few out:
"I need to wake up
I need to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something's got to break up
I've been asleep
I've got to wake up
Now."
See what I mean?
Now, this is another example of misguided philanthropy. You can tell there's a God-placed desire in everyone's heart to love people, to make a difference in a world humans intuitively know is, well, screwed up.
Theologians correctly highlight the separation of God and man when it comes to Adam and Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden. But there's another facet to it that most people miss. It didn't just separate us from God, it separated us from his intentions.
As a result, we all have this inherent desire in each of our souls to make right what was once made wrong. Because make no mistake about it, when sin entered human history it created a sinful climate that has tainted everything. That's why there's a need for social action.
Carl Jung would call it a part of our "collective unconscious," but whatever you want to call it, if it's not centered in a love for Christ then it is ultimately meaningless. Angelina Jolie can save all the orphaned babies in the world, but if she doesn't instill in their hearts the transforming power of Christ's forgiveness and salvation, then they are doomed to repeat the cycle of sin and oppression that created the situation that orphaned them in the first place.
So, do you need to wake up? You're darn right you do.
Just not in the way the world would have you believe ... you need to wake up to Jesus.
It's funny how God works. While I was writing out some ideas in preparation of writing this entry, lo and behold, yesterday's devotional from Oswald Chambers' classic "My Utmost for His Highest" was exactly on point. What a coincidence -- unless, like me, you don't believe in coincidences. At least not when God's concerened.
You can find the devotional on the links to the right, or just click here for the entry.
(copyright 2007, andrew j. beckner. all rights under copyright reserved)
2007-04-21
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Heaven? Uh, no thanks ...
"Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"
One of the best movies that I wasn't allowed to watch when I was a kid had to be "Predator."
You know the one, right? A pre-gubenatorial Arnold Schwarzenegger is stranded in the jungles of South America and pits himself against an alien hunter from another planet, with the help of Jessie "The Body" Ventura and the guy who played Apollo Creed from the "Rocky" movies. Man, you gotta love the 80s.
Something struck me when I was reading about Heaven recently, and I thought about the Predator. Well, this alien only sees in infra-red, right? He doesn't know what the ocean looks like, or how beautiful a sunset is, or how awe-inspiring snow-capped mountians can be. He can't see these things, but he doesn't really care, right? He has no frame of reference. He is blissfully ignorant of the beauty around him.
Something struck me when I was reading about Heaven recently, and I thought about the Predator. Well, this alien only sees in infra-red, right? He doesn't know what the ocean looks like, or how beautiful a sunset is, or how awe-inspiring snow-capped mountians can be. He can't see these things, but he doesn't really care, right? He has no frame of reference. He is blissfully ignorant of the beauty around him.
When I asked a group of Christian college students once if they were looking forward to going to Heaven, I wasn't surprised by the answer. They were about as excited at the prospect of going to Heaven as a trip to the mall on a Tuesday afternoon.
The next logical question, of course, was: "Why, then, did you decide to follow Jesus anyway?" There are any number of fringe benefits to doing so, not the least of which is the chance to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. But most of them said nothing about going to Heaven, or the immeasurable comfort of knowing their sins are forgiven. They became Christians because they didn't want to go to Hell.
That's just sad, really. No, not because they understood the very real place that Hell is, but that they failed to realize how very real Heaven is as well. Ask someone to picture Hell, they can conjure all sorts of horrific images -- fire, demons, etc. -- and, to be sure, there's no way of comprehending the terror of that place.
But you ask that same person about Heaven, and you'll invariably hear about harps and clouds and a bearded old white guy with a halo standing at a pearly gate with a big book. That would be St. Peter ... pick your punch line.
See that picture above? Porcelin Jesus and a bunch of creepy, chubby babies with wings? Man, you can keep that. I want no part of that ... and I suspect most people don't, either.
Take a look at how the Bible describes Heaven, and you'll get all kinds of stuff. It says there are many mansions (John 14:2), that it's a country (Hebrews 11:16), that it's a place of rest (Hebrews 4:9, Revelations 14:13) and that no bad people will be there (Galations 5:21, Ephesians 5:5, Revelation 22:15), among other things.
These things challenge some of our basic assumptions. First, Jesus tells his disciples in one of the most quoted scriptures that "In my Father's House, there are many mansions." It has been widely assumed that we would be living in those mansions -- remember the old hymn? "I've got a mansion/just over the hilltop/in that bright land where/we'll never go old ..." Now that you have that song stuck in your head, we'll move on -- but Jesus never says that.
Oh, and that city everyone talks about? Sure, it's there. But look at that scripture in Hebrews. It talks of a country, too. Think everyone will live in the city? Or might some of us live in the mountains ... or near the beach ... or both?
See, a lot of people in my generation don't really care that much about Heaven for two reasons: one, our parents and grandparents and anyone in church old enough to remember Richard Nixon as president talk about the prospect of not growing old and having new bodies as a big plus about the whole living forever thing. Fair enough, that's a valid reason for them. But our bodies are still relatively young ... yeah, I have aches and pains, but it's not like I need to trade in this 1975 model. I've got a few more miles to put on it yet.
Second, our ideas of Heaven come from those flannelboard stories we were taught in Vacation Bible School ... you know, the ones with the angels flying around a pasty white Jesus with the white robe and the purple sash. It's always bright, there are these gold streets and mansions that are impossibly large and look nothing like I'd ever be interested in. Again, no thanks.
We're like the Predator. Our human eyes can't comprehend the majesty and beauty of Heaven. What we have are images of what people imagine it to be -- clouds, pearly gates and chubby babies with wings.
What if Heaven isn't like that at all? What if Heaven is this beautiful country with a vast desert, deep jungles, miles of unblemished coastline, mountains that stretch for miles and miles and miles, rivers that roar with whitewater one moment and, in the next, gently trickle across smooth stones. What if our house is a modest little place right on the beach with a hammock out by water that's so clearly blue you can see right through to the bottom. What if you could sleep on that hammock for hours and hours and no one would bother you. Ever try to explain color to someone who is completely color blind? What if you wake up from your nap on that hammock -- I'm talking a real good nap, too, one that's a whole lifetime in the making -- and you're just in time to see the sun set and look like it's sinking into that pale blue water, and when it does there are colors in the sky that you and I have never seen, colors so beautiful we'll sit and stare for days on end just trying to come up with names for them all.
What if it's this great big party, the best outdoor barbecue you've ever seen, with scrumptious grilled lobster, steamed crabs and juicy steaks? What if there's a live band, and everyone gets along?
What if there's no fear of walking alone because no one wants to hurt you. Indeed, everyone loves you with a perfect love. And you love everyone else, too. What if every bad thing that's ever been done to you isn't just erased from your memory ... it never happened in the first place. That means you'd never need forgiven for anything you'd done to someone, either. What if you knew no emotion but pure happiness?
What if you could tell your granny how much you missed her? What if you could tell your grandpa you were proud to bear his name while on earth? What if they looked as wonderful as you remembered?
And what if, in the middle of this fantastic country, is this majestic city with a skyline that stretches for miles, and it's full of mansions and high rises and five star restaurants with the most wonderful food you can imagine; there are deluxe hotels where you can sleep in when you visit, stunning monuments more beautifully sculpted than anything you've ever seen, art galleries where painters and musicians display the masterpieces a finite life on earth never allowed them to finish.
What if, best of all, Jesus is in the middle of it all, calling the shots and making sure the whole thing runs perfectly? Because, you see, Jesus makes ALL things new.
What if you could visit Him anytime you wanted? What if you could have lunch with Jesus, go on a walk with Jesus, shoot pool with Jesus? Does that sound silly? It's not.
What if you could touch his hands that bore the nails that pierced your sin? What if you could hug Him and feel the warmth from his arms and feel His heart beat against your chest and hear Him say, more beautiful than any song, "I love you."
What if that is Heaven?
Yeah, me too ... I want to go there.
(copyright 2007 by andrew j. beckner. all rights under copyright reserved. contact me at ephesians514@gmail.com for terms of use.)
2007-04-18
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Links, links, more links
My church -- Agape Christian Fellowship in Charleston, W.Va. -- now has a website and a rudimentary pocast of Sunday sermons available. I say rudimentary because we're working to do a better job with it as soon as our technical expertise matches up with the vision. Here's hoping our heads are as big as our hearts.
You can visit the website here. It's a blogspot site for now, but it looks like we'll be moving to our own domain name in the near future. Stay tuned.
Speaking of local churches, a couple of larger churches in West Virginia have caught my eye, and both are related.
Chestnut Ridge Community Church in Morgantown, W.Va., is one of the fastest growing congregations in the state. Visit its website here.
The leaders up in Morgantown decided to plant a church in my hometown here in Charleston, and River Ridge Church is what they came up with. I had a chance to meet its pastor, Matt Santen, recently, and came away impressed. Visit their website here.
Finally, check out the lyrics to the song "I Need To Wake Up,", written by Melissa Etheridge for the documentary An Inconvenient Truth -- you know, Al Gore's environmental opus. I have a few thing I'd like to share about it in the coming days. To be thinking about it, just pay close attention to the words of the song.
Grace and peace ...
You can visit the website here. It's a blogspot site for now, but it looks like we'll be moving to our own domain name in the near future. Stay tuned.
Speaking of local churches, a couple of larger churches in West Virginia have caught my eye, and both are related.
Chestnut Ridge Community Church in Morgantown, W.Va., is one of the fastest growing congregations in the state. Visit its website here.
The leaders up in Morgantown decided to plant a church in my hometown here in Charleston, and River Ridge Church is what they came up with. I had a chance to meet its pastor, Matt Santen, recently, and came away impressed. Visit their website here.
Finally, check out the lyrics to the song "I Need To Wake Up,", written by Melissa Etheridge for the documentary An Inconvenient Truth -- you know, Al Gore's environmental opus. I have a few thing I'd like to share about it in the coming days. To be thinking about it, just pay close attention to the words of the song.
Grace and peace ...
2007-04-12
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Ephesians514 Ministries
Here's the first discussion thread at a new Facebook group I've started. You can check out the group by clicking here, and can sign up for Facebook here. If you want to join, drop me an e-mail and we'll get you into the discussion group.
So, here's the discussion thread, re-posted below. Feel free to comment here on the blog, but it would be great to get the Ephesians514 Ministries discussion group up and running, so, please, head on over to Facebook, sign up for a free account and then join our group.
On to the thread ...
The following excerpt is from "Searching for God Knows What," by Don Miller.
"God wired us so that He told us who we were, and outside that relationship, the relationship that said we were loved and valuable and beautiful, we didn't have any worth at all. As horrible as it sounds, it would make sense that things of worth are things God loves, and things that don't have worth are things God doesn't love ... maybe a human is defined by who loves him. I know it sounds terrible, because we have always grown up believing that a person is valuable even if nobody loves them, and I certainly agree with that because God made everybody and the Bible very clearly states that He loves everybody. But if those relations are disturbed, the relatiopns between God and man, then we feel the desire to be loved and respected by other people instead of God, and if we don't get that love and respect, we feel very sad or angry because we know that our glory is at stake, that if there isn't some glory being shown through us by somebody ... we'll be dead inside, like a little light will go out and our souls will feel dark, like nothing can grow there."
Your thoughts? Is this the reason we try to hard to please other people? Are our priorities at fault because we are seeking love and approval from the world instead of from God? Or, perhaps, did you get something else out of the passage?
(Oh, by the way ... I highly recommend reading the book, and another by Miller called "Blue Like Jazz." Look them up on Amazon. You won't be sorry.)
So, here's the discussion thread, re-posted below. Feel free to comment here on the blog, but it would be great to get the Ephesians514 Ministries discussion group up and running, so, please, head on over to Facebook, sign up for a free account and then join our group.
On to the thread ...
The following excerpt is from "Searching for God Knows What," by Don Miller.
"God wired us so that He told us who we were, and outside that relationship, the relationship that said we were loved and valuable and beautiful, we didn't have any worth at all. As horrible as it sounds, it would make sense that things of worth are things God loves, and things that don't have worth are things God doesn't love ... maybe a human is defined by who loves him. I know it sounds terrible, because we have always grown up believing that a person is valuable even if nobody loves them, and I certainly agree with that because God made everybody and the Bible very clearly states that He loves everybody. But if those relations are disturbed, the relatiopns between God and man, then we feel the desire to be loved and respected by other people instead of God, and if we don't get that love and respect, we feel very sad or angry because we know that our glory is at stake, that if there isn't some glory being shown through us by somebody ... we'll be dead inside, like a little light will go out and our souls will feel dark, like nothing can grow there."
Your thoughts? Is this the reason we try to hard to please other people? Are our priorities at fault because we are seeking love and approval from the world instead of from God? Or, perhaps, did you get something else out of the passage?
(Oh, by the way ... I highly recommend reading the book, and another by Miller called "Blue Like Jazz." Look them up on Amazon. You won't be sorry.)
2007-04-10
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NOW that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
"What things?" he asked.
"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
The Resurrection: What came next?
NOW that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
"What things?" he asked.
"About Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.
When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
Read the IVP Commentary here, the Matthew Henry commentary here and the Oswald Chambers commentary from "My Utmost for His Higest" here.
2007-04-03
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Back soon ...
Basketball season is over ... and the search for a new coach will soon be, too, thank God. I'll be back to writing in no time.
In the meantime, enjoy this photo from a recent trip to New York ... and reflect on the awesome joy of knowing all about The Cross.
Speaking of The Cross, while you're at it, check out this video, courtesy of Igniter Media (via YouTube).
2007-02-24
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Best ... and worst ... airports
Did you know it takes about 14 hours to fly from Bradley International Airport outside of Hartford, Connecticut to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia? It's true. (Well, if you fly Delta, it is.)
I was jotting some stuff down in my travel journal while waiting to board a plane at Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, and two things occurred to me: 1) I'd been to enough airports and been on enough airplanes to actually make a relatively comprehensive list of the best and worst airports our great country has to offer, and 2) I'd been either sitting in a terminal or on an airplane so long, burning through at least three magazines, a novel, several playlists on my MP3 player and wandering aimlessly that the only thing left to do was actually write said comprehensive list.
It's late right now, and I can't sleep. I'm also craving some candy -- I gave up sweets, soft drinks, etc., for Lent -- and I need something to take my mind off it. Thus, this list which, if you're needing to take a flight anytime soon -- and, really, I'd suggest finding some other method of travel; walk if you have to -- might come in handy. Call it my act of public service of the week, if you will. You're welcome.
First, a few ground rules. I've disqualified Columbus International Airport in Ohio because A) it was from CMH that I took my first flight, and I was sufficiently excited (I was 16 at the time) to render any critique of the place moot. It could have been LaGuardia and I would have thought it cool (OK, so maybe not); and, B) I didn't include Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Spain, for much the same reason: it was my first time overseas, and I was just thrilled that a man at baggage claim could understand my broken Spanish. Again, it could have been a dump and I wouldn't have cared, I was too busy grinning from ear to ear that I was in another country.
So, without further ado -- except to say that on my next long business trip (in three weeks to New York City for a few days), I'm taking Amtrak ... seriously -- here's my list of the best and worst airports I've ever had the misfortune of setting foot in. Drumroll, please ...
17) Washington-Dulles International Airport.
Pros: Um, well ...
Cons: I've never flown from IAD on time, the last time I flew there the plane almost crashed (I'm not kidding), the tiny terminal at which all planes to or from my home airport (CRW) is so small there's literally nothing to do other than walk around in circles. I just hate the place.
16) Newark-Liberty International Airport
Pros: See Washington-Dulles
Cons: Security lines are monstrosities, everyone is as rude as a Parisian waiter serving an American from the South, air traffic is so bad you can't get anywhere on time, the hallways are narrow, the bathrooms are dirty ... I could go on.
15) Detroit-Wayne County
Pros: See Newark-Liberty
Cons: It's old, dirty and getting to baggage claim is like navigating Pan's Labyrinth.
14) Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta
Pros: It's big enough that there's plenty of places to eat, get a cold drink, a magazine, etc.
Cons: It's the busiest airport in the East, so good luck getting anywhere on time. No one seems to know what they're doing. Your departure gate will change at least five times ... if you're lucky. The hallways are pretty wide, but there are so many people there's still nowhere to walk. ATL is just too, too busy.
13) New York-LaGuardia
Pros: Flying in and out is always a treat, just for the views of the city.
Cons: Very, very dirty, and the hallways are more narrow than Nicole Richie's waist.
12) Roy Rogers International Airport (Oklahoma City)
Pros: Very wide hallways. Very quiet, and not at all busy so you can get away from people.
Cons: Security there is as tight as anywhere I've been, which isn't a bad thing until it takes you an hour to get through. If you're hungry, you have a choice of ... well, very little, in fact. I think there are two restaurants, and both serve cold food. Yum.
11) Chicago-O'Hare International Airport
Pros: I've been to large shopping malls that have fewer stores. Hallways are wide, and there are lots of places to sit.
Cons: It's as busy as ATL.
10) Bradley International Airport, Hartford
Pros: It's small, laid back. In the Delta terminal there are these great comfortable sofas that are fantastic for napping.
Cons: The in-terminal airport staff are so clueless, I had to tell a guy at the Delta terminal at what airports to look for additional flights to get me on when mine was cancelled. He apparently doesn't know what a computer is.
9) Providence/T.F. Green International Airport
Pros: Again, it's small, laid back.
Cons: Bring a book. There's nothing else to do when you get there.
8) Syracuse-Hancock International Airport
Pros: Another small, quiet airport.
Cons: The weather can be brutal, making for some rough flights in and out.
7) Philadelphia International Airport
Pros: Ground transportation is really convenient. The city views flying in and out are pretty cool.
Cons: It's another busy, busy airport.
TOP SIX COMING TOMORROW.
I was jotting some stuff down in my travel journal while waiting to board a plane at Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, and two things occurred to me: 1) I'd been to enough airports and been on enough airplanes to actually make a relatively comprehensive list of the best and worst airports our great country has to offer, and 2) I'd been either sitting in a terminal or on an airplane so long, burning through at least three magazines, a novel, several playlists on my MP3 player and wandering aimlessly that the only thing left to do was actually write said comprehensive list.
It's late right now, and I can't sleep. I'm also craving some candy -- I gave up sweets, soft drinks, etc., for Lent -- and I need something to take my mind off it. Thus, this list which, if you're needing to take a flight anytime soon -- and, really, I'd suggest finding some other method of travel; walk if you have to -- might come in handy. Call it my act of public service of the week, if you will. You're welcome.
First, a few ground rules. I've disqualified Columbus International Airport in Ohio because A) it was from CMH that I took my first flight, and I was sufficiently excited (I was 16 at the time) to render any critique of the place moot. It could have been LaGuardia and I would have thought it cool (OK, so maybe not); and, B) I didn't include Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Spain, for much the same reason: it was my first time overseas, and I was just thrilled that a man at baggage claim could understand my broken Spanish. Again, it could have been a dump and I wouldn't have cared, I was too busy grinning from ear to ear that I was in another country.
So, without further ado -- except to say that on my next long business trip (in three weeks to New York City for a few days), I'm taking Amtrak ... seriously -- here's my list of the best and worst airports I've ever had the misfortune of setting foot in. Drumroll, please ...
17) Washington-Dulles International Airport.
Pros: Um, well ...
Cons: I've never flown from IAD on time, the last time I flew there the plane almost crashed (I'm not kidding), the tiny terminal at which all planes to or from my home airport (CRW) is so small there's literally nothing to do other than walk around in circles. I just hate the place.
16) Newark-Liberty International Airport
Pros: See Washington-Dulles
Cons: Security lines are monstrosities, everyone is as rude as a Parisian waiter serving an American from the South, air traffic is so bad you can't get anywhere on time, the hallways are narrow, the bathrooms are dirty ... I could go on.
15) Detroit-Wayne County
Pros: See Newark-Liberty
Cons: It's old, dirty and getting to baggage claim is like navigating Pan's Labyrinth.
14) Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta
Pros: It's big enough that there's plenty of places to eat, get a cold drink, a magazine, etc.
Cons: It's the busiest airport in the East, so good luck getting anywhere on time. No one seems to know what they're doing. Your departure gate will change at least five times ... if you're lucky. The hallways are pretty wide, but there are so many people there's still nowhere to walk. ATL is just too, too busy.
13) New York-LaGuardia
Pros: Flying in and out is always a treat, just for the views of the city.
Cons: Very, very dirty, and the hallways are more narrow than Nicole Richie's waist.
12) Roy Rogers International Airport (Oklahoma City)
Pros: Very wide hallways. Very quiet, and not at all busy so you can get away from people.
Cons: Security there is as tight as anywhere I've been, which isn't a bad thing until it takes you an hour to get through. If you're hungry, you have a choice of ... well, very little, in fact. I think there are two restaurants, and both serve cold food. Yum.
11) Chicago-O'Hare International Airport
Pros: I've been to large shopping malls that have fewer stores. Hallways are wide, and there are lots of places to sit.
Cons: It's as busy as ATL.
10) Bradley International Airport, Hartford
Pros: It's small, laid back. In the Delta terminal there are these great comfortable sofas that are fantastic for napping.
Cons: The in-terminal airport staff are so clueless, I had to tell a guy at the Delta terminal at what airports to look for additional flights to get me on when mine was cancelled. He apparently doesn't know what a computer is.
9) Providence/T.F. Green International Airport
Pros: Again, it's small, laid back.
Cons: Bring a book. There's nothing else to do when you get there.
8) Syracuse-Hancock International Airport
Pros: Another small, quiet airport.
Cons: The weather can be brutal, making for some rough flights in and out.
7) Philadelphia International Airport
Pros: Ground transportation is really convenient. The city views flying in and out are pretty cool.
Cons: It's another busy, busy airport.
TOP SIX COMING TOMORROW.
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Have a heart
I don't know why this is bothering me so badly -- perhaps it's knowing, as a song by Casting Crowns puts it, that there's a storm raging inside this young woman's soul. I've been there, when the soul is stirred not by the gentle ebbs and flows of daily life, but swirling in a storm whose only logical conclusion is misery.
See that poor girl there? She's hurting. Somewhere along the way, her life has taken a dangerous turn, and you know what our response is? To glance at pictures of her plastered across magazines as we wait to buy our gallon of milk, rubber-necking just as at a car wreck, hoping to see a tragedy. Our wish is being granted. That tragedy is happening right now, in real time. Shame on all of us for licking our chops as it happens.
Watch this video, via YouTube (I'd embed it directly here, but I've been having some problems doing so lately.) It's late night talk show host Craig Ferguson, describing the storm that once raged in his life and his admirable decision to not poke fun at Britney Spears.
What's it hurt?, you say. Hey, she asked for it, right? Wanted to be famous. Made herself a target by making stupid decisions, parading half-naked for the paperazzi (sp?) and then having the audacity to be upset when the press turned ugly. OK, so maybe all of that is true. But, as Ferguson points out in his monologue, Britney Spears is, what, 25 years old? "She's a baby herself," he says.
This isn't the thing I normally write about, but for some reason I'm heartbroken over what has happened to this young woman. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I've been there, where she is, and was fortunate enough not to have the national media following me around and pontificating on what a bad person I was each time I screwed up. Truth be told, I screwed up probably more than Britney Spears.
So here's the thing: stop reading about her. Stop talking about her. Don't gawk at her pictures in the tabloids. Don't crinkle your nose and say to your friends, "Did you see how bad she looked in that picture?" Or, "She's such a terrible mother." If you see her newly bald head on your television screen, turn the channel (you shouldn't be watching "Access Hollywood" or "Entertainment Tonight" anyway). Don't buy "People" magazine if there's even so much as a mention of her.
I'm begging you to do two things: first, pray for her. Ask God to reveal Himself to her, to soothe her spirit, to help her find the truth of love. Not love from whatever deadbeat who wants to exploit her, but the love of Christ, the only person who can heal her spirit.
And, second, just leave the poor girl alone.
2007-02-16
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For week ending 2-17-07
Labels: Christian news, news
Madonna: "We All Need to be Like Jesus" (Christian Post)
That's very true, although I'm sure she and I would disagree on what that means. For instance, she says that her recent concert performance, which includes a scene where she is mounted on a large cross, is all about Christ's message of "loving thy neighbor and tolerance (emphasis mine)."
Why is it most people want to define "tolerance" as turning a blind eye to sin?
Be thankful that you won't be attacked when leaving Sunday School this week.
Bottom line? The best hope for reducing recidivism in inmates is the hope found in Christ. I suppose we should stick with outdated paradigms of prisoner rehabilitation. Since that's working so well.
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Just been takin' a short break ... lots of work travel, sick kids and the like.
Stay tuned ... same Bat time, same Bat channel.
Hiatus
Just been takin' a short break ... lots of work travel, sick kids and the like.
Stay tuned ... same Bat time, same Bat channel.
2007-01-23
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Compassionate Conservatives
Study: Religious people give more to charities than secular (Christianity Today)
You're not surprised, are you?
Baptist Megachurch Fires Minister After Probe
A longtime minister of Bellevue Baptist Church was fired weeks after being suspended for what the church called "a moral failure" 17 years ago and after an internal investigation amid allegations of child abuse. (AP, via Christian Post)
Sigh ...
Binge Drinking Common Among Teens
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that 69 percent of students who reported binge drinking indulged in the activity on more than one occasion in the past 30 days. (Lifeway.com)
At least I waited until I was 21.
When Not All Publicity Is Good Publicity
Alexandra Pelosi finished her HBO documentary on evangelical America and then her main guide, Ted Haggard, was ruined by a sex scandal. (Newseek, via MSNBC)
You know, it sounds to me like she was probably under conviction via Haggard's witnessing ... then sin goes and ruins it, just as it always does.
... The U.S. House of Representatives voted in December to allow debtors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy to tithe. The bill responds to a New York court's August ruling that a 2005 federal bankruptcy reform bill bars middle-income debtors from making charitable contributions. The Senate previously passed the bill, and President Bush is expected to sign it
For week ending Jan. 27, 2007
Compassionate Conservatives
Study: Religious people give more to charities than secular (Christianity Today)
You're not surprised, are you?
Baptist Megachurch Fires Minister After Probe
A longtime minister of Bellevue Baptist Church was fired weeks after being suspended for what the church called "a moral failure" 17 years ago and after an internal investigation amid allegations of child abuse. (AP, via Christian Post)
Sigh ...
Binge Drinking Common Among Teens
NASHVILLE, Tenn. --The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that 69 percent of students who reported binge drinking indulged in the activity on more than one occasion in the past 30 days. (Lifeway.com)
At least I waited until I was 21.
When Not All Publicity Is Good Publicity
Alexandra Pelosi finished her HBO documentary on evangelical America and then her main guide, Ted Haggard, was ruined by a sex scandal. (Newseek, via MSNBC)
You know, it sounds to me like she was probably under conviction via Haggard's witnessing ... then sin goes and ruins it, just as it always does.
Gender and the Pulpit
Workplace difficulties can arise for trangendered persons in nearly all professions, but what about those who are called to work for God? (Newseek, via MSNBC)
No comment.
Beliefwatch: Blasphemy
'Hi my name is Lindy and I deny the existence of the Holy Spirit and you should too.' (Newsweek, via MSNBC)
I wonder if God will allow someone to go to Hell for stupidity
Briefly... The U.S. House of Representatives voted in December to allow debtors in Chapter 13 bankruptcy to tithe. The bill responds to a New York court's August ruling that a 2005 federal bankruptcy reform bill bars middle-income debtors from making charitable contributions. The Senate previously passed the bill, and President Bush is expected to sign it
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"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."
(Psalm 18:2)
Check these out ...
"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."
(Psalm 18:2)
In the interest of liberating anyone out there who may want to kill some time while at work )not that I'm trivializing the content here; it's really, really good stuff ... the second link is downright heart-wrenching), here are a couple of links that are worth your while.
(Oh, before I forget ... I added a daily devotional to the site, which is in the margin to your right, below the links and near the daily scripture. Also, I removed some links in the margin and added a few more Christian bloggers that are worth reading. I'm also planning a few more structural changes like that in the coming days, so y'all come back now, y'hear?)
Five Streams of the Emerging Church
It's been awhile since we broached the subject of the Emerging Church "conversation," so here's another link for those of you who might not be familiar with it, courtesy of Christianity Today magazine and Scot McKnight, who has emerged (get it? get it? Oh, nevermind) as one of the leading evangelical experts on the Emerging Church phenomenon.
Sarah McLachlan -- "World on Fire" music video
I tried to just post the video itself so you wouldn't have to navigate away from this page, but couldn't do it. Watch it ... pretty powerful stuff.
Selah.
2007-01-20
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The Digital Church
From where I sit right now, at this very moment, I'm surrounded by modern technology.
On the desk in front of me are two MP3 players, a digital camera and a positively Neanderthalian calculator. To my right is a portable DVD player sitting atop a device that could, at any moment I wish and with a push of a button, print out these very words on a piece of paper. My printer is also a scanner and copier, if that's your thing.
I have a hand-held alarm clock right here that gives the time in London, Beirut and Osaka simultaneously. A video camera. A cellular telephone.
Oh, there are these things called books surrounding me here in my little home office, to be sure. But the information contained in them is far more easily accessed by an Internet search engine -- also available in the flashest of flashes.
I could "Google" something right now. In fact, I just did -- for the heck of it and just 'cause I could, you understand. There are 40,300 entries for the query "pepperjack cheese," in case you're wondering.
I'm nearly a year into the MP3 player revolution -- details here -- and I couldn't be more happy with it all. I was reluctant at first, if only because it's one of those "everyone is doing it" things and I am naturally suspicious of trends and what-not. Maybe that just means I'm not hip. Oh well.
But what I've discovered is that my MP3 player has become one of the most important tools in my Christian walk. You read that correctly. It's become a tool for worship -- I listen to tons of good contemporary Christian music on it -- and for spiritual instruction. Indeed, I listen to more sermons, teachings and devotionals (via podcasts) than anything else on the little gadget. In many ways, it's revolutionized my devotional life.
By far, there are more podcast downloads of sermons, devotionals, etc. from Mars Hill Church in Seattle than anything else. Indeed, I download PDF files of sermon notes each week, read them and listen to the subsquent sermon on my player. As I was updating some files the other day a thought occurred to me: am I a "virtual" member of Mars Hill Church?
It's an interesting concept to consider, and it highlights the way technology has transformed the Church, i.e., the Body of Christ. For instance, the church in which I grew up has limited technology. If I wanted to listen to sermon I missed, I'd be welcome to ... I'd just have to dig through the tapes of past services. Problem is, I'm not sure I even have anything on which to listen to tapes. That little church doesn't have CDs, let alone MP3s.
Now, there's nothing wrong with that, per se. That church, Bancroft Church of God Mission, is faithful to the mission to which God called it. It faithfully serves those people who attend and the community in which it exists.
It's just that, for that church's generation, the community consists of about 180 regular members and a town of some 300 people in Putnam County, W.Va. For me and my generation, tranformed by modern technology and the information revolution ushered in through new media and the Internet, our community is the world. It's an exciting and terrifying prospect.
In the past week, I've listened to a teaching from Rick Warren (of Saddleback Community Church and "The Purpose Driven Life" fame); a sermon from Bluer Community Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota; a theological roundtable from author Don Miller ("Blue Like Jazz"); several discussions related to Mars Hill's Film and Theology night; and, of course, Mark Driscoll's latest sermon (the first of a series on the Old Testament book of Ruth).
(Oh, by the way, in the interest of full disclosure, Drisoll has been the source of some controversy in the blogosphere lately, speficially about his comments on the Ted Haggard scandal and the role of women in church leadership. The blog that started the whole uproar is here, with follow up entries here, here, here and here. A blog from one of his most vocal critics can be found here.)
In answer to an internal question that sparked my interest, no, I'm not a member of Mars Hill Church. Being a member of a Christian fellowship is just that: it's fellowship. It's more than listening to sermons and studying your Bible. It's a sense of community, and there's no sense of community between me and my MP3 player.
But the issue remains: as technology and interpersonal media continues to shrink our world -- as the theory of six degrees of separation is turned on its ear by MySpace, Internet message boards and Google Earth -- I think we have a moral responsibility to fulfill our mission to the global community and to engage our culture which, like it or not, is a digital, information-seeking society.
It can be scary, yes, and my first response is to move to a cabin somewhere and cook my meals over an open flame. But that's taking a Ted Kaczynski-ish approach, don't you think?
Instead, our role should be to engage the culture head on, and, like Paul in Athens, use it to change the world for Christ.
(copyright 2006, andrew j. beckner. all rights under copyright reserved)
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Evangelicals United for Darfur
"And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'" - Matthew 25:40
I didn't write what's below. It's taken from Evangelicals for Darfur, a non-profit organization trying to shed some much-needed light on what is one of the greatest humanitarian crises in African history -- and that's saying a lot.
Anyway, I hope you'll take a moment to visit the website listed below and consider ways you can help. There are a number of ideas on the website on how to get involved. I think all of us -- Christians and nonChristians alike -- share a moral responsibility to speak out when people are suffering. The war in Iraq has diverted a lot of attention away from the Sudanese crisis, and it's up to all of us to recognize there's more to the world's problems than what you see on CNN every day.
I hope you'll take a small piece of action at least by sending an e-mail to your legislator or the White House to signal that it's time for urgent action. Sure, you'll get a form letter back, but the more e-mails the White House and Congress get, the more serious they'll take this crisis.
So, without further ado, here's the lowdown:
Evangelical Christians are uniting in an urgent effort to bring an immediate end to the genocide in Darfur.
In recent weeks, evangelical leaders have discovered profound unity on this crisis. Believing that God was calling them to act, a number of those leaders began talking about how evangelical Christians could respond together to this call. Those conversations led to the creation of Evangelicals for Darfur, a campaign that brings together media, web, and grassroots advocacy to call for an end to the senseless suffering in Darfur.
A broad and diverse group of evangelical leaders were eager to participate in this project. The leaders signed onto ads that are currently running in the nation's major newspapers calling on our nation's political leaders to boldly lead the effort to stop the suffering. As evangelical Christians, we now have the chance to add our voices to this important message.
I hope you'll visit www.evangelicalsfordarfur.org and decide to join in this urgent effort. I am deeply encouraged by the broad spectrum of Christians who are speaking out together on this issue. For in matters of life and death, there is no left or right, there is only right and wrong. Together we can help make a life-saving difference for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.
Click here to learn more and to add your voice to this campaign.
I didn't write what's below. It's taken from Evangelicals for Darfur, a non-profit organization trying to shed some much-needed light on what is one of the greatest humanitarian crises in African history -- and that's saying a lot.
Anyway, I hope you'll take a moment to visit the website listed below and consider ways you can help. There are a number of ideas on the website on how to get involved. I think all of us -- Christians and nonChristians alike -- share a moral responsibility to speak out when people are suffering. The war in Iraq has diverted a lot of attention away from the Sudanese crisis, and it's up to all of us to recognize there's more to the world's problems than what you see on CNN every day.
I hope you'll take a small piece of action at least by sending an e-mail to your legislator or the White House to signal that it's time for urgent action. Sure, you'll get a form letter back, but the more e-mails the White House and Congress get, the more serious they'll take this crisis.
So, without further ado, here's the lowdown:
Evangelical Christians are uniting in an urgent effort to bring an immediate end to the genocide in Darfur.
In recent weeks, evangelical leaders have discovered profound unity on this crisis. Believing that God was calling them to act, a number of those leaders began talking about how evangelical Christians could respond together to this call. Those conversations led to the creation of Evangelicals for Darfur, a campaign that brings together media, web, and grassroots advocacy to call for an end to the senseless suffering in Darfur.
A broad and diverse group of evangelical leaders were eager to participate in this project. The leaders signed onto ads that are currently running in the nation's major newspapers calling on our nation's political leaders to boldly lead the effort to stop the suffering. As evangelical Christians, we now have the chance to add our voices to this important message.
I hope you'll visit www.evangelicalsfordarfur.org and decide to join in this urgent effort. I am deeply encouraged by the broad spectrum of Christians who are speaking out together on this issue. For in matters of life and death, there is no left or right, there is only right and wrong. Together we can help make a life-saving difference for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.
Click here to learn more and to add your voice to this campaign.
2007-01-15
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Still here ...
I hereby offer you, whoever YOU may be -- family member (most likely), person bored at work and surfing the Internet who stumbled across a random blog (quite possibly), etc. -- the most important link you'll ever find on this humble blog.
Curious? Click here ...
I'm just back from a blog break (after taking courses in alliterative prose ... just kidding). Holidays, tons of work-related travel (and more to come, unfortunately) and just a general lack of inspiration has conspired to keep me from writing lately.
Anyway, I've got a few things on my Stegosaurus-sized brain and, because of the premium on room up there, it's best I get rid of it. I'll be doing so in the next few weeks, and I hope you'll enjoy it.
In the meantime, check this out.
Oh, real quick: did you know that God loves you? Sounds silly, maybe, and certainly Pollyanna-ish. It also happens to be true.
Want proof? Click here.
Curious? Click here ...
I'm just back from a blog break (after taking courses in alliterative prose ... just kidding). Holidays, tons of work-related travel (and more to come, unfortunately) and just a general lack of inspiration has conspired to keep me from writing lately.
Anyway, I've got a few things on my Stegosaurus-sized brain and, because of the premium on room up there, it's best I get rid of it. I'll be doing so in the next few weeks, and I hope you'll enjoy it.
In the meantime, check this out.
Oh, real quick: did you know that God loves you? Sounds silly, maybe, and certainly Pollyanna-ish. It also happens to be true.
Want proof? Click here.
2006-12-23
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comments
In the latest evidence that "Newsweek" is seemingly obsessed with Christianity, the cover story and subsquent sidebars address the issue of "The world into which Jesus was born and raised has shaped morals for two millennia. How Jewish mores became Christianity's customs."
(UPDATE: The magazine's stories miss a lot. A lot. More af a line-by-line analysis later.)
OK, OK, I confess. It was the promise of an interview with Sylvester Stallone and the 1980-auteur's revival of the "Rocky" franchise with the fifth installment, titled "Rocky Balboa."
(Contrary to popular belief -- or this link -- there is no such thing as a "Rocky V." You hear me? It didn't happen.)
If I had a chance to meet, say, five famous people, alive or dead, Stallone would be on the list. Call it corny or a childish fantasy, but I love those movies. They are, as a whole, my favorite movie of all time. Bar none.
I still have, in my possession, a pair of Rocky swimming trunks; a "Rocky IV" cut-off T-shirt; a pair of boxing gloves that, in the absence of an opponent (read: my brother or my dad) I would use to hit myself in the face while acting out scenes from the movies; and, my personal favorite, a long-sleeved T-shirt that I myself designed back when you could find those T-shirt kiosks in the mall what would outfit the shirt of your choice with any number of cheesy images (wizards, Trans-Ams, buxom babes in bikinis, etc.) and, then, personlize them with puffy letters. If you were born in the early- to mid-70s, you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, my shirt was white with black sleeves, a snarling tiger on the front, puffy yellow letters down each arm that say "Rocky Balboa" and, on the back, even bigger puffy letters (black this time) that say, "Eye of the Tiger." Needless to say, my career as a clothes desinger coincided with "Rocky III," which coined the "Eye of the Tiger" phrase.
You know why I would like to meet Stallone? I want to shake his hand, pat him on the back, and say, "thanks." Without those movies, my childhood would not have been as good as it was. And I'm being completely serious.
The question all this raises is why are we so drawn to underdog stories? The "Rocky" franchise bills itself as "The Greatest Underdog Story of Our Time," and I don't doubt that's true. A down-on-his-luck fighter gets an inexplicable shot at the heavyweight champion of the world, trains his butt off and, in the greatest heavyweight fight of all time (if it were real, that is), takes the champ all 15 rounds before losing. Thing is, he didn't really lose ... oh, he lost the fight, but he won his dignity, his respect.
Of course, in subsequent movies, things change. He gets famous, rich, etc. But the point of it all is the same: a guy "whose whole life was a million-to-one shot" makes something of himself from the sweat of his brow ... and the meat of his fists. Now that's a story.
The Greatest Underdog Story of Our Time? Yeah, I buy it.
But it's not the Greatest Underdog Story of All Time. Another tale takes that title.
Here's an illustration that you may not recognize, but bear with me: Let's say there's this unwed woman living in Afghanistan. She's nine-month's pregnant, and homeless. She's forced by the Taliban to go back to where she was born in a small region near the Pakistani border to register with the authorities, not only so they can keep track of her, but because they are instituting a "taxation without representation" system to the provinces it governs.
She's broke and overtaxed, living in a land that erupts from time to time by civil war and ruled by a government with no legitimate claims to do so. When she finally has her baby, she does so without the benefit of a doctor and, out of fear for the baby's safety in a land where a ruler like Osama Bin Laden is running the show, she takes off for Africa, where's she's never been. She's 14 years old.
That's a modern context, but it's the kind of circumstances into which Jesus was born. Was there any historical figure that was as much an underdog as Jesus? Growing up, Jesus knew the poor, the oppressed and the powerless firsthand.
Is it any wonder that the first person He ever told He was the Messiah was a woman who'd been married five times and was living with a man that wasn't number six. Jesus associated with these types of people for a reason: that's who He came to save.
And because He started His life in such rough-and-tumble circumstances, He was the ultimate underdog, whether He was God or not.
Jesus loved people for whom the future is not secure. He could relate.
Do you have an underdog's attitude? Do you make an effort to help feed the woman in line at Go-Mart with the handful of food stamps. Do you donate your time at the homeless shelter? Are you an underdog? There are many people who are.
This is, of course, the worst time of year for those against whom life has turned its back. And that's why Jesus can relate so much ... He came into this world as God, yes, but He was the biggest underdog of them all.
The Greatest Underdog Story of All Time
In the latest evidence that "Newsweek" is seemingly obsessed with Christianity, the cover story and subsquent sidebars address the issue of "The world into which Jesus was born and raised has shaped morals for two millennia. How Jewish mores became Christianity's customs."
(UPDATE: The magazine's stories miss a lot. A lot. More af a line-by-line analysis later.)
OK, OK, I confess. It was the promise of an interview with Sylvester Stallone and the 1980-auteur's revival of the "Rocky" franchise with the fifth installment, titled "Rocky Balboa."
(Contrary to popular belief -- or this link -- there is no such thing as a "Rocky V." You hear me? It didn't happen.)
If I had a chance to meet, say, five famous people, alive or dead, Stallone would be on the list. Call it corny or a childish fantasy, but I love those movies. They are, as a whole, my favorite movie of all time. Bar none.
I still have, in my possession, a pair of Rocky swimming trunks; a "Rocky IV" cut-off T-shirt; a pair of boxing gloves that, in the absence of an opponent (read: my brother or my dad) I would use to hit myself in the face while acting out scenes from the movies; and, my personal favorite, a long-sleeved T-shirt that I myself designed back when you could find those T-shirt kiosks in the mall what would outfit the shirt of your choice with any number of cheesy images (wizards, Trans-Ams, buxom babes in bikinis, etc.) and, then, personlize them with puffy letters. If you were born in the early- to mid-70s, you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, my shirt was white with black sleeves, a snarling tiger on the front, puffy yellow letters down each arm that say "Rocky Balboa" and, on the back, even bigger puffy letters (black this time) that say, "Eye of the Tiger." Needless to say, my career as a clothes desinger coincided with "Rocky III," which coined the "Eye of the Tiger" phrase.
You know why I would like to meet Stallone? I want to shake his hand, pat him on the back, and say, "thanks." Without those movies, my childhood would not have been as good as it was. And I'm being completely serious.
The question all this raises is why are we so drawn to underdog stories? The "Rocky" franchise bills itself as "The Greatest Underdog Story of Our Time," and I don't doubt that's true. A down-on-his-luck fighter gets an inexplicable shot at the heavyweight champion of the world, trains his butt off and, in the greatest heavyweight fight of all time (if it were real, that is), takes the champ all 15 rounds before losing. Thing is, he didn't really lose ... oh, he lost the fight, but he won his dignity, his respect.
Of course, in subsequent movies, things change. He gets famous, rich, etc. But the point of it all is the same: a guy "whose whole life was a million-to-one shot" makes something of himself from the sweat of his brow ... and the meat of his fists. Now that's a story.
The Greatest Underdog Story of Our Time? Yeah, I buy it.
But it's not the Greatest Underdog Story of All Time. Another tale takes that title.
Here's an illustration that you may not recognize, but bear with me: Let's say there's this unwed woman living in Afghanistan. She's nine-month's pregnant, and homeless. She's forced by the Taliban to go back to where she was born in a small region near the Pakistani border to register with the authorities, not only so they can keep track of her, but because they are instituting a "taxation without representation" system to the provinces it governs.
She's broke and overtaxed, living in a land that erupts from time to time by civil war and ruled by a government with no legitimate claims to do so. When she finally has her baby, she does so without the benefit of a doctor and, out of fear for the baby's safety in a land where a ruler like Osama Bin Laden is running the show, she takes off for Africa, where's she's never been. She's 14 years old.
That's a modern context, but it's the kind of circumstances into which Jesus was born. Was there any historical figure that was as much an underdog as Jesus? Growing up, Jesus knew the poor, the oppressed and the powerless firsthand.
Is it any wonder that the first person He ever told He was the Messiah was a woman who'd been married five times and was living with a man that wasn't number six. Jesus associated with these types of people for a reason: that's who He came to save.
And because He started His life in such rough-and-tumble circumstances, He was the ultimate underdog, whether He was God or not.
Jesus loved people for whom the future is not secure. He could relate.
Do you have an underdog's attitude? Do you make an effort to help feed the woman in line at Go-Mart with the handful of food stamps. Do you donate your time at the homeless shelter? Are you an underdog? There are many people who are.
This is, of course, the worst time of year for those against whom life has turned its back. And that's why Jesus can relate so much ... He came into this world as God, yes, but He was the biggest underdog of them all.
(copyright andrew j. beckner, 2006. all rights under copyright reserved.)
2006-12-22
0
comments
Take a minute and read this story from the Los Angeles Times:
The setting: post-apocalypse Manhattan.
The heroes: the Tribulation Force.
Their mission: defeat Satan by bringing the world to Christ.
Inspired by a hugely popular book series, the new video game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces'' deposits players in a futuristic world where born-again Christians must use prayer and song to convert the infidels -- or tanks and snipers to blow them away. The game is being promoted to Christian teens as "the ultimate fight of good vs. evil.''
But with just eight days left in the Christmas shopping season, it's coming under heavy fire.
A coalition of liberal Christian groups has complained that the video game is too violent, intolerant and divisive to be properly called Christian.
"It's essentially a training video for faith-based killing, marketed to children,'' said the Rev. Tim Simpson, a volunteer pastor with a Presbyterian church in Jacksonville, Fla.
There is no blood or gore in the game; when bodies fall, they simply disappear. And you rack up more points by converting your enemies to Christianity than by killing them. But it's hard to advance with a strictly pacifist approach, since you're constantly under attack by the antichrist's army -- which resembles the United Nations. (You atone for mowing down the bad guys by pushing a ‘prayer' key, which builds your strength for more fighting.)
"I can't think of anything more antithetical to the gospel of Christ,'' said Simpson, who runs an organization called the Christian Alliance for Progress. "The message is that God intends for everyone who doesn't share your faith to be whacked.''
Game creator Troy Lyndon dismisses such objections as alarmist. He says the point of the game is to spur teens to start thinking about "matters of eternal importance'' -- such as the fate of their souls.
Players advance by picking up clues that are supposed to get them thinking about the Biblical prophesy of the Rapture, when believers expect to ascend to heaven, leaving behind a ravaged Earth. The game is set after the Rapture, when those left behind are divided into two warring camps: born-again believers against the forces of Satan.
Lyndon acknowledges that most gamers won't tarry on the scriptural analysis in the clues when there are battles to be fought and heathens to evangelize. But those who care to learn more can click over to a Web site that invites them to accept Christ -- and incidentally, renounce Darwin.
"We're out to make a difference,'' said Lyndon, the chief executive of Left Behind Games Inc., based in Murrieta, Calif.
The game has been endorsed by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. In an online review, the ministry noted that warfare is integral to the game, just as it is to the "Left Behind'' novels, which have sold 63 million copies. But the reviewer called concerns about the violence exaggerated, writing: "Eternal Forces is the kind of game that mom and dad can actually play with Junior -- and use to raise some interesting questions along the way.''
The liberal Christian groups that oppose the game have gathered 28,000 signatures of protest through the Web site DefConAmerica.org. By comparison, the conservative American Family Association last year collected 500,000 pledges to boycott Target for using "holiday'' instead of "Christmas'' in its marketing.
It's unclear whether the protest against the video game has had much effect. Andy Butcher, editor of Christian Retailing magazine, said Christian bookstores "have been a little slow'' to stock it. But he attributes that not to unease about the content, but to fear of competition from Wal-Mart, which sells "Eternal Forces'' for less than $40. (Christian retailers can't match Wal-Mart's volume discounts, so they're selling it for $45 to $60, sometimes bundled with a Bible.)
For his part, Lyndon says the controversy "has been great for the product,'' though he won't release sales figures. Certainly, the fracas has given the game worldwide media exposure; just last week, Lyndon was interviewed by German TV and British radio.
Between interviews, he's been supervising fixes to the game, such as muting one character's annoying tic of repeatedly shouting "Praise the Lord!'' He's also working on a sequel.
"I want to show that thinking about what may happen when you die can be as fun as being in an Indiana Jones film,'' Lyndon said. "It's an adventure.''
*******************************
Frankly, as a Christian, this kind of stuff makes me cringe. Reading the "Left Behind" novels is one thing (which I did, and enjoyed). Acting it out in some corny video game that will do little more than elicit guffaws from the media is something else entirely.
Maybe this isn't the best idea
Take a minute and read this story from the Los Angeles Times:
The setting: post-apocalypse Manhattan.
The heroes: the Tribulation Force.
Their mission: defeat Satan by bringing the world to Christ.
Inspired by a hugely popular book series, the new video game "Left Behind: Eternal Forces'' deposits players in a futuristic world where born-again Christians must use prayer and song to convert the infidels -- or tanks and snipers to blow them away. The game is being promoted to Christian teens as "the ultimate fight of good vs. evil.''
But with just eight days left in the Christmas shopping season, it's coming under heavy fire.
A coalition of liberal Christian groups has complained that the video game is too violent, intolerant and divisive to be properly called Christian.
"It's essentially a training video for faith-based killing, marketed to children,'' said the Rev. Tim Simpson, a volunteer pastor with a Presbyterian church in Jacksonville, Fla.
There is no blood or gore in the game; when bodies fall, they simply disappear. And you rack up more points by converting your enemies to Christianity than by killing them. But it's hard to advance with a strictly pacifist approach, since you're constantly under attack by the antichrist's army -- which resembles the United Nations. (You atone for mowing down the bad guys by pushing a ‘prayer' key, which builds your strength for more fighting.)
"I can't think of anything more antithetical to the gospel of Christ,'' said Simpson, who runs an organization called the Christian Alliance for Progress. "The message is that God intends for everyone who doesn't share your faith to be whacked.''
Game creator Troy Lyndon dismisses such objections as alarmist. He says the point of the game is to spur teens to start thinking about "matters of eternal importance'' -- such as the fate of their souls.
Players advance by picking up clues that are supposed to get them thinking about the Biblical prophesy of the Rapture, when believers expect to ascend to heaven, leaving behind a ravaged Earth. The game is set after the Rapture, when those left behind are divided into two warring camps: born-again believers against the forces of Satan.
Lyndon acknowledges that most gamers won't tarry on the scriptural analysis in the clues when there are battles to be fought and heathens to evangelize. But those who care to learn more can click over to a Web site that invites them to accept Christ -- and incidentally, renounce Darwin.
"We're out to make a difference,'' said Lyndon, the chief executive of Left Behind Games Inc., based in Murrieta, Calif.
The game has been endorsed by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. In an online review, the ministry noted that warfare is integral to the game, just as it is to the "Left Behind'' novels, which have sold 63 million copies. But the reviewer called concerns about the violence exaggerated, writing: "Eternal Forces is the kind of game that mom and dad can actually play with Junior -- and use to raise some interesting questions along the way.''
The liberal Christian groups that oppose the game have gathered 28,000 signatures of protest through the Web site DefConAmerica.org. By comparison, the conservative American Family Association last year collected 500,000 pledges to boycott Target for using "holiday'' instead of "Christmas'' in its marketing.
It's unclear whether the protest against the video game has had much effect. Andy Butcher, editor of Christian Retailing magazine, said Christian bookstores "have been a little slow'' to stock it. But he attributes that not to unease about the content, but to fear of competition from Wal-Mart, which sells "Eternal Forces'' for less than $40. (Christian retailers can't match Wal-Mart's volume discounts, so they're selling it for $45 to $60, sometimes bundled with a Bible.)
For his part, Lyndon says the controversy "has been great for the product,'' though he won't release sales figures. Certainly, the fracas has given the game worldwide media exposure; just last week, Lyndon was interviewed by German TV and British radio.
Between interviews, he's been supervising fixes to the game, such as muting one character's annoying tic of repeatedly shouting "Praise the Lord!'' He's also working on a sequel.
"I want to show that thinking about what may happen when you die can be as fun as being in an Indiana Jones film,'' Lyndon said. "It's an adventure.''
*******************************
Frankly, as a Christian, this kind of stuff makes me cringe. Reading the "Left Behind" novels is one thing (which I did, and enjoyed). Acting it out in some corny video game that will do little more than elicit guffaws from the media is something else entirely.
Not that this news story isn't without its faults. To be sure, the reporter takes her cheap shots at all of us right-wing, gay-hating bigots who so foolishly believe that there's more to life than what we see out of our windows.
Specifically, she uses thinly-veiled, snide remarks about Christians with passages like: "born-again Christians must use prayer and song to convert the infidels" and "most gamers won't tarry on the scriptural analysis in the clues when there are battles to be fought and heathens to evangelize."
(Yes, yes ... all non-believers are infidels and heathens, and they're lucky we don't just all blow them away with shotguns and get it over with. Not only are we all ignorant, we're evil to boot.)
Yes, yes, we're all so terribly stupid for believing that God actually came to earth as a man, lived a sinless life and died to save the sins of the world and that, one day, we'll live with him in heaven for eternity. Please be patient with us. We are a little slow.
(Silly little Christian, myths are for kids.)
What's sad about all this is what gets lost in the shuffle: the very real fact that God exists, that Christ died for our sins and that, someday, He will judge us according to whether we have accepted His gift of salvation or rejected it.
I think games like "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" are misguided, as are the umpteen billion sequels to the original series of novels. If the goal is to interest more people in eschatology and bring the message of salvation to more people, then I pray God blesses those efforts.
But what I fear will happen is an inevitable backlash against this time of evangelism to the point that you'll continue to read these slanted stories that portray our faith as worthy of nothing more than a punch line. The only demographic (ethnic, cultural or religious) that it's perfectly OK to make fun of is born-again Christians. So come on, let's not make it any easier on them.
You know what? I have no problem with pointing out to people that there is a price to be paid for A) sin and B) not accepting the forgiveness to that sin.
It's just that the best way to do it isn't to set them in front of a video game where they can "mow down the bad guys by pushing a 'prayer key.'"
Instead, why not mow someone's grass? Why not send them a random card? Why not invite them for dinner and not spend all hour telling them how they're going to hell? Why not volunteer at a local food bank, give your coat to a coat drive, make a bologna sandwich and give it to that guy who always asks you for spare change on your way to work?
There's nothing wrong with having a sense of urgency for the lost when Christ could come back for His church at any time.
But there's a better way.
2006-12-18
2
comments
“Before Philip called you, when you were under that fig tree, I saw you.”
(John 1:48)
He can't see his own feet.
Not only are they moving too quickly -- indeed, the Galilean is running faster than he ever has before -- but the dust kicking up from the road is swirling around him in a red cloud.
It's a hot day in Bethsaida, and the man is sweating.
His uncut hair is a tangled mess of black curls atop his head. His modest tunic hangs off a well-tanned shoulder, and he has to slow down at times to make sure the whole thing doesn't fall off as he runs.
But he dares not stop. Slow down? Regrettably, yes. But stop? No. This is far too important a message to deliver.
Up ahead, Nathanael sits beneath a tree. He looks to his left, and sees the man running toward him.
Is that Philip?
It is.
Nathanael would normally smile at his best friend's arrival, but there's something in his eyes, something frantic, that tell Nathanael that something is … no, not wrong. That’s not the right word. By the time Philip makes it to the shade of the fig tree he is terribly out of breath, and his best friend is officially worried.
He spits the words in short gasps.
“He's here,” Philip says, barely managing the words. His right hand is on his own knee, his other gripping Nathanael's wrist, partly for support, but also to make sure he has his friend's attention. He’s bent over, staring down at the red dirt at his feet, squinting as the stinging sweat runs from his brow into his eyes. Some of it drips down and creates minute watery explosions on the ground. Overhead, the sun is bright.
“Who, Philip? Who is here?”
Philip raises his head sideways to look up. He's still bending over, still holding onto Nathanael's wrist, still fighting for air. The two men's eyes meet for this first time this day.
Nathanael can see his friend has been crying, but Philip appears neither hurt nor afraid. “Jesus,” Philip says. “Jesus is here. Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Messiah. I've found Him.
“No, wait.”
Nathanael waits.
“He's found me.”
Imagine what it must have been like.
Philip and Nathanael's people had waited over a thousand years for this moment. Generations had passed from the world, each born with the promise that one day the Messiah would come, each with the hope that it would happen in their lifetimes, each with sorrow and sadness as they left this world judged by God's Old Covenant. All were seeking the one the prophets had promised would come and deliver them.
Today was that day for Philip and Nathanael.
(Take a minute to read John 1:43-50.)
Right there, in verse 43, Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Lamb of God who was to take away the sins of this world, the one whom Philip's father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great grandfather, going all the way back to the days of Moses, the one whom all of them had been seeking ... right there, in that one verse, the very promise of God walks up to Philip in the middle of the afternoon on a typical day in Galilee and says, quite simply, “Follow me.”
Whew!
Nathanael thought his friend was crazy. Still, he was open when the call came.
Oh, it wasn’t as if he didn't question it ... he was a lot like us in that respect.
The Son of God? From Nazareth?
“Are you sure? Nazareth? That little hole in the wall?”
But when Philip said, “Come and see,” Nathanael came and saw.
That’s an admirable attitude, one borne out of a hope and expectation of the revelation of Christ. Jews in first-century Palestine were an expectant lot. They were under the yoke of oppression from a foreign empire, a daily reminder that their lives were not as fulfilled as they could be.
Sound familiar?
Our war is against our flesh, our human nature. Our invading empire is the sin raging rampantly within us.
That being the case, does our attitude reflect Phillip’s and Nathanael’s? Are we looking forward to Christ with expectation?
I’m not talking about His coming. I’m talking about every day, every morning when we wake up. Do we wait expectantly for Him and what He will accomplish to His glory through us?
We must be willing to “come and see.”
We cannot expect God to talk to us from across the country. We cannot expect Him to speak to us and reveal to us the purpose for which we have been created and the wonderful things we can accomplish through His power if we are sitting under a fig tree ... or, to modernize the story, if we are sitting on the couch wondering why God doesn't speak to us. We must step out, come and then see.
When Nathanael came to see what all the fuss was about, Jesus spotted him coming from a great distance. Likewise, the Lord knows when we are seeking Him. The Bible says, and I'm paraphrasing again, “draw close to me and I'll draw close to you.”
The amazing thing about this verse is that Jesus knew immediately how He could use Nathanael for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Still, ol' Nathan was confused. He'd probably never seen this man before (and, if he did, he only knew Him as a Jewish carpenter from a nearby town).
But Jesus knew him. “I saw you ... come out from that fig tree,” Jesus was calling.
He's calling us, too.
God desperately wants a more intimate relationship with us ... He longs to speak to us, and when we truly surrender our lives to Him, we'll know His voice.
Here's where it all comes together in this story. Nathanael may not have ever seen Jesus before. But when He heard about Him, he came out from under that fig tree.
The result? When Christ spoke, Nathanael knew because he had heeded the call.
“Rabbi! You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Nathanael said. He only heard but one sentence from the Master, and Nathanael knew.
What was his reward for heeding the call, for knowing the voice of God? It's the same one we can have. You can imagine Christ saying the same words to you as He did to Nathanael that hot day in Bethsaida, the same words he speaks when He answers prayer, when we read His word, when He wraps us up in His loving arms by showering us with blessings. It's all there for us, if we really want it.
And, like He said to Nathanael, we could easily imagine Him saying to us, “You ain't seen nothing yet.”
“You shall see greater things than that; and you will know the truth.”
(copyright 2006, andrew j. beckner. all rights under copyright reserved)
Under the fig tree
“Before Philip called you, when you were under that fig tree, I saw you.”
(John 1:48)
He can't see his own feet.
Not only are they moving too quickly -- indeed, the Galilean is running faster than he ever has before -- but the dust kicking up from the road is swirling around him in a red cloud.
It's a hot day in Bethsaida, and the man is sweating.
His uncut hair is a tangled mess of black curls atop his head. His modest tunic hangs off a well-tanned shoulder, and he has to slow down at times to make sure the whole thing doesn't fall off as he runs.
But he dares not stop. Slow down? Regrettably, yes. But stop? No. This is far too important a message to deliver.
Up ahead, Nathanael sits beneath a tree. He looks to his left, and sees the man running toward him.
Is that Philip?
It is.
Nathanael would normally smile at his best friend's arrival, but there's something in his eyes, something frantic, that tell Nathanael that something is … no, not wrong. That’s not the right word. By the time Philip makes it to the shade of the fig tree he is terribly out of breath, and his best friend is officially worried.
He spits the words in short gasps.
“He's here,” Philip says, barely managing the words. His right hand is on his own knee, his other gripping Nathanael's wrist, partly for support, but also to make sure he has his friend's attention. He’s bent over, staring down at the red dirt at his feet, squinting as the stinging sweat runs from his brow into his eyes. Some of it drips down and creates minute watery explosions on the ground. Overhead, the sun is bright.
“Who, Philip? Who is here?”
Philip raises his head sideways to look up. He's still bending over, still holding onto Nathanael's wrist, still fighting for air. The two men's eyes meet for this first time this day.
Nathanael can see his friend has been crying, but Philip appears neither hurt nor afraid. “Jesus,” Philip says. “Jesus is here. Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Messiah. I've found Him.
“No, wait.”
Nathanael waits.
“He's found me.”
Imagine what it must have been like.
Philip and Nathanael's people had waited over a thousand years for this moment. Generations had passed from the world, each born with the promise that one day the Messiah would come, each with the hope that it would happen in their lifetimes, each with sorrow and sadness as they left this world judged by God's Old Covenant. All were seeking the one the prophets had promised would come and deliver them.
Today was that day for Philip and Nathanael.
(Take a minute to read John 1:43-50.)
Right there, in verse 43, Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Lamb of God who was to take away the sins of this world, the one whom Philip's father, grandfather, great-grandfather and great-great grandfather, going all the way back to the days of Moses, the one whom all of them had been seeking ... right there, in that one verse, the very promise of God walks up to Philip in the middle of the afternoon on a typical day in Galilee and says, quite simply, “Follow me.”
Whew!
Nathanael thought his friend was crazy. Still, he was open when the call came.
Oh, it wasn’t as if he didn't question it ... he was a lot like us in that respect.
The Son of God? From Nazareth?
“Are you sure? Nazareth? That little hole in the wall?”
But when Philip said, “Come and see,” Nathanael came and saw.
That’s an admirable attitude, one borne out of a hope and expectation of the revelation of Christ. Jews in first-century Palestine were an expectant lot. They were under the yoke of oppression from a foreign empire, a daily reminder that their lives were not as fulfilled as they could be.
Sound familiar?
Our war is against our flesh, our human nature. Our invading empire is the sin raging rampantly within us.
That being the case, does our attitude reflect Phillip’s and Nathanael’s? Are we looking forward to Christ with expectation?
I’m not talking about His coming. I’m talking about every day, every morning when we wake up. Do we wait expectantly for Him and what He will accomplish to His glory through us?
We must be willing to “come and see.”
We cannot expect God to talk to us from across the country. We cannot expect Him to speak to us and reveal to us the purpose for which we have been created and the wonderful things we can accomplish through His power if we are sitting under a fig tree ... or, to modernize the story, if we are sitting on the couch wondering why God doesn't speak to us. We must step out, come and then see.
When Nathanael came to see what all the fuss was about, Jesus spotted him coming from a great distance. Likewise, the Lord knows when we are seeking Him. The Bible says, and I'm paraphrasing again, “draw close to me and I'll draw close to you.”
The amazing thing about this verse is that Jesus knew immediately how He could use Nathanael for the Kingdom of Heaven.
Still, ol' Nathan was confused. He'd probably never seen this man before (and, if he did, he only knew Him as a Jewish carpenter from a nearby town).
But Jesus knew him. “I saw you ... come out from that fig tree,” Jesus was calling.
He's calling us, too.
God desperately wants a more intimate relationship with us ... He longs to speak to us, and when we truly surrender our lives to Him, we'll know His voice.
Here's where it all comes together in this story. Nathanael may not have ever seen Jesus before. But when He heard about Him, he came out from under that fig tree.
The result? When Christ spoke, Nathanael knew because he had heeded the call.
“Rabbi! You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Nathanael said. He only heard but one sentence from the Master, and Nathanael knew.
What was his reward for heeding the call, for knowing the voice of God? It's the same one we can have. You can imagine Christ saying the same words to you as He did to Nathanael that hot day in Bethsaida, the same words he speaks when He answers prayer, when we read His word, when He wraps us up in His loving arms by showering us with blessings. It's all there for us, if we really want it.
And, like He said to Nathanael, we could easily imagine Him saying to us, “You ain't seen nothing yet.”
“You shall see greater things than that; and you will know the truth.”
(copyright 2006, andrew j. beckner. all rights under copyright reserved)
2006-12-05
1 comments
It's the Christmas season, of course, and with that in mind, read the following passage from Philp Yancey's book "The Jesus I Never Knew."
Oh, and if you haven't read it, turn off your computer, grab your car keys and head out to the bookstore, buy a copy, and then read it. Right now.
OK?
OK.
On to the passage!
"Nine months of awkward explanations, the lingering scent of scandal -- it seems that God arranged the most humiliating circumstances possible for His entrance, as if to avoid any charge of favoritism. I am impressed that when the Son of God became a human being, He played by the rules, harsh rules: small towns do not treat kindly young boys who grow up with questionable paternity.
Malcom Muggeridge observed that in our day, with family-planning clinics offering convenient ways to correct 'mistakes' that might disgrace a family name, 'It is, in point of fact, extremely improbable, under existing conditions, that Jesus would have been permitted to be born at all. Mary's pregnancy, in poor circumstances, and with the father unknown, would have been an obvious case for an abortion; and her talk of having conceived as a result of the intervention of the Holy Ghost would have pointed to the need for psychiatric treatment, and made the case for terminating her pregnancy even stronger. Thus our generation, needing a Savior more, perhaps, than any that has ever existed, would be too humane to allow one to be born.'
The virgin Mary, though, whose parenthood was unplanned, had a different response. She heard the angel out, pondered the repurcussions, and replied, 'I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said.' Often a work of God comes with two edges, great joy and great pain, and in that matter-of-fact response Mary embraced both. She was the first person to accept Jesus on His own terms, regardless of the personal cost." (emphasis mine)
So, do you want to accept Jesus on His terms? Are you ready to abandon your right to yourself and live wholly -- and holy -- in His grace? Check this link out.
Christmas reading
It's the Christmas season, of course, and with that in mind, read the following passage from Philp Yancey's book "The Jesus I Never Knew."
Oh, and if you haven't read it, turn off your computer, grab your car keys and head out to the bookstore, buy a copy, and then read it. Right now.
OK?
OK.
On to the passage!
"Nine months of awkward explanations, the lingering scent of scandal -- it seems that God arranged the most humiliating circumstances possible for His entrance, as if to avoid any charge of favoritism. I am impressed that when the Son of God became a human being, He played by the rules, harsh rules: small towns do not treat kindly young boys who grow up with questionable paternity.
Malcom Muggeridge observed that in our day, with family-planning clinics offering convenient ways to correct 'mistakes' that might disgrace a family name, 'It is, in point of fact, extremely improbable, under existing conditions, that Jesus would have been permitted to be born at all. Mary's pregnancy, in poor circumstances, and with the father unknown, would have been an obvious case for an abortion; and her talk of having conceived as a result of the intervention of the Holy Ghost would have pointed to the need for psychiatric treatment, and made the case for terminating her pregnancy even stronger. Thus our generation, needing a Savior more, perhaps, than any that has ever existed, would be too humane to allow one to be born.'
The virgin Mary, though, whose parenthood was unplanned, had a different response. She heard the angel out, pondered the repurcussions, and replied, 'I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said.' Often a work of God comes with two edges, great joy and great pain, and in that matter-of-fact response Mary embraced both. She was the first person to accept Jesus on His own terms, regardless of the personal cost." (emphasis mine)
So, do you want to accept Jesus on His terms? Are you ready to abandon your right to yourself and live wholly -- and holy -- in His grace? Check this link out.
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