The Goodness of God and the Suffering of the Faithful

How do we reconcile the love of God with the suffering of the Church? How do we reconcile the idea that "all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose" with the fact that most Christians throughout the world are afflicted and --what's worse-- forgotten?

Need some answers? Here's an attempt...

The only way a deaf and blind world can hear and see the gospel message is by seeing it in our lives. The only way the life of Christ can reach the nations is by us following his incarnation, submitting to God's will, and presenting ourselves in all of our vulnerability.

Read more here.

The Ascension of Our Lord

This day, 40 days removed from Easter Sunday, the Church celebrates the Ascension of our gloriously risen King who now sits at the Father's right hand to make intercession for His saints. This day in the story of Christian liturgy, redeemed humanity has been presented victoriously in heaven.

Charles Wesley's words, penned in 1742, were never more fitting...

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Forgive him, O forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

A Few More (Quick) Thoughts on Baptizing Babies

1. There are quite a number of decisions that are made for babies by those entrusted with their care... In fact, some of these are the most immediately important decisions of life (i.e., to feed, to aid with breathing, to clothe or swaddle, etc.). Some of these, yes, happen to be religious in nature (i.e., to raise within or without a religious context, including --though certainly not limited to-- prayer, Scripture, church, or even the neglect of these).

2. In regards to decisions which must inevitably be made in behalf of a child, the fact is that the burden of responsible choice lies squarely on the shoulders of the child's parents --or others entrusted with their care-- alon

3. Until a child learns autonomy, he is in a very real way an inevitable beneficiary of his parents' choosing, whether for the good or the bad. If his parents move to another state or nation, he will gain the benefits or the detriments of said choice. If his parents are Taoists, he will, again, gain something that would inevitably have been not his were they not. Likewise, if they are Christians...

4. Religious circumcision having become sacramentally obsolete, baptism is most immediately and intimately tied to covenantal faith and divine grace.

5. In large part, we who inhabit the churches of American Evangelicalism tend to think of Christian baptism as being a sign (or, testament) to our "personal" faith in Jesus. We should take to heart the historical fact that the Church for the greater part of two millennia understood Christian baptism to be a sign (or, mark) of the grace of God on a person coming to faith. That being so, baptism was assumed to be available to and encouraged for anyone with the direct hope of coming to faith in Christ (i.e., a child being raised in a Christian home, a person being brought into the congregational life of a church, etc.).

Just some thoughts, here...

On Infant Baptism

Conversations and thoughts concerning baptism have been engaging me in the past few months --particularly, weeks-- which have encouraged me to study more.

Let me, first, build a bit more in regards to context, and then, I'll share some summative thoughts from John Wesley's "A Treatise on Baptism".

At our church, we have a student who --along with his mother-- has been asking me about baptism. He has never been baptized and would like to know more concerning it's meaning, significance, importance, etc. What's more: In our church, there is a baby who is just a few months old, whose parents have asked that he be "dedicated". Upon further inspection, I have come to realize that the parents are expecting H2O to be involved in the service of dedication, which --in my mind-- constitutes baptism. After all, water plus "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" equals Christian baptism, right? What's even more: Lindsey and I are expecting our fourth baby to arrive in the next few weeks, perhaps even days. Each of our children have been baptized as infants (no, not to escape 'limbo'). And yet more [This is getting lengthy, I know.]: We have another couple in the church expecting a newborn in a few months. Neither of their two older children were baptized as infants, one being a young boy, and the other being a since-baptized, teenaged young lady.

Needless to say, in the past few months or so, I have, on several occasions, been asked quite a number of questions about my thoughts concerning baptism in general and infant baptism in particular.

Okay, so, now, onto the good stuff... Wesley's summative thoughts concerning the Christian baptism of infants:

To sum up the evidence: If outward baptism be generally, in an ordinary way, necessary to salvation, and infants may be saved as well as adults, nor ought we to neglect any means of saving them; if our Lord commands such to come, to be brought unto him, and declares, 'Of such is the kingdom of heaven;' if infants are capable of making a covenant, or having a covenant made for them by others, being included in Abraham's covenant, (which was a covenant of faith, an evangelical covenant,) and never excluded by Christ; if they have a right to be members of the Church, and were accordingly members of the Jewish; if, suppose our Lord had designed to exclude them from baptism, he must have expressly forbidden his Apostles to baptize them, (which none dares to affirm he did,) since otherwise they would do it of course, according to the universal practice of their nation; if it is highly probable they did so, even from the letter of Scripture, because they frequently baptized whole households, and it would be strange if there were no children among them; if the whole Church of Christ, for seventeen hundred years together, baptized infants, and were never opposed till the last century but one, by some not very holy men in Germany; lastly, if there are such inestimable benefits conferred in baptism, the washing away the guilt of original sin, the engrafting us into Christ, by making us members of his Church, and thereby giving us a right to all the blessings of the gospel; it follows, that infants may, yea, ought to be baptized, and that none ought to hinder them.

-paragraph 10 of section IV from "A Treatise on Baptism" in The Works of John Wesley, Volume 10 (p 198)

"And the Heavens Were Silent"

At the crucifixion of Christ, we see the heart of Man...
We see hatred and fear.
We see rejection and grasping.
We see anger and mockery.
We see bitterness and rage.

At the crucifixion of Christ, we see the heart of God.
We see One who loves without limit.
We see One who embraces suffering.
We see One who invites humiliation upon Himself.
We see One who is –without reservation– concerned with His beloved.
We see One who is utterly and perfectly self-giving.

At the crucifixion of Christ...
The eternal Father did not turn His back upon His eternally-begotten Son;
Rather, He turned His face in horrific anguish and incomparable pain.

At the crucifixion of Christ...
God embraced the suffering of Man.
God was spat upon.
God was mocked.
God was rejected.
God felt the paralyzing fear and cold bitterness of death.

At the crucifixion of Christ...
Matter was embraced.
Humanity was redeemed.
God and Man were reconciled in the Person of the crucified Creator.
The One who is the very source and ground of life was put to death.

And the heavens were silent...

Thoughts concerning John 13-17...

I am astonished, considering the context of these chapters in the life of Xp, by the content therein. This, the last night of Jesus with His disciples, and what does He do?

He washes feet.
He institutes the Supper.

Judas, who has already received his pay of 30 pieces, has already begun his betrayal and is yet at table – being washed and being served.

“This is My body...”
“This is My blood...”

Remember...

And what else? He teaches.

Oh, does He teach... concerning – among other topics and themes – the nature of God, the glory of God, the presence of God, the Spirit of God, and the will of God.

Having prayed, He is arrested – betrayed by a kiss.

On the Importance of Study as a Spiritual Discipline

I am currently involved in a small group which meets on Sunday evenings in the home of a family in our church. We are currently studying Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster, and each week, we share and discuss our answers to questions I have developed related to the chapter at hand.

The following is an answer I wrote in response to the question, 'How does study contribute to the fulfillment of the purpose of the Spiritual Disciplines?'

The purpose of the Disciplines is the total transformation of the person, having been made in the divine image, also being remade in said image (i.e., conformity to the image of Xp). Our transformation particularly pertains to the renewal of the mind, us being called to share the mind of Xp, study being used by God as the primary vehicle through which we encounter those thoughts, or ideas, which bring the mind of God (Phil. 4:8; cf. truth, goodness, beauty).

A Brief Critique of Part 1 from an Interview with Ayn Rand (1959)

This is very interesting and quite telling. Where I think she's missing the conception of self-giving love in Christian thought is in that love -if it is to be LOVE- is in it's very nature free and uncompelled. What's more: the Christian Faith certainly recognizes varying degrees, origins, and characteristics of love. There is certainly erotic love, love for one's self (i.e., the lover) to be satisfied by the object of love (i.e., the beloved). There is common love (i.e., brotherly love), by which there is a unity of interest and intention. There is, further, self-giving (as she'd call it, self-sacrificing) love, which is free and personal, rooted certainly in the value of the other, whether it'd be a virtuous sort or (as in the case of the imago Dei) an intrinsic sort.

Some Thoughts on John 3:22-36...

"While John the Baptizer affirms the superiority of Jesus over himself, I find it interesting what he then says about eternal life, belief, and obedience...

"Those who believe in the Son have eternal life, while those who neglect obedience neither have nor will have --so long as they disobey-- eternal life. But, so long as they willfully remain in disobedience to the Son, they remain under the judgment of God.

"Interesting juxtaposition, to say the least. Theologically, this is a profound thought by John, and I'm reminded in it of Bonhoeffer's call to quit giving lack of faith as an excuse to be negligent in regards to obeying Xp: Obey Him and you will trust Him."

"Behold the Savior of Mankind"

Below is one of the few surviving hymns penned by Samuel Wesley, father of John, Charles, and their siblings. Most of his hymns were destroyed in the fire at Epworth.

Behold the Savior of mankind
Nailed to the shameful tree!
How vast the love that Him inclined
To bleed and die for thee!

Hark, how He groans, while nature shakes,
And earth's strong pillars bend!
The temple's veil in sunder breaks;
The solid marbles rend.

'Tis done! the precious ransom's paid!
"Receive my soul!" He cries;
See where He bows His sacred head!
He bows His head and dies!

But soon He'll break death's envious chain,
And in full glory shine;
O Lamb of God, was ever pain,
Was ever love, like Thine?

Scripture Readings for Lent

Below is a schedule of readings through the Gospel according to John for the duration of Lent. While fasting on Sundays is theologically faux pas, it's always more than appropriate to read the Scriptures on Sundays, right? That being the case, the following schedule includes readings on Sundays and, of course, the greatest Sunday of them all: Easter.



I put this schedule together for the benefit of our congregation, Faith Methodist Church, so that we might together walk through John's record of the Gospel. In my sermons, the plan is to walk through Mark's account. My thinking is that hearing these two dialects of the word of God might be both interesting and beneficial to those who are able to join us for worship on Sunday mornings during the Lenten season.

"Further Thoughts Concerning the Dead: On Marriage"

The following is adapted from my intended response to a couple of replies in my original post "Thoughts Concerning the Dead". Regretfully, my response was too lengthy to post, so here goes...

As far as those who have been / are married in this life... Jesus did say in the Gospels that in heaven, men and women, aren't given to marriage but, rather, are as the angels. However, before we make any conclusive assumptions about what he's saying, we should consider a few things:

1. He's replying to those who are trying to trip him up theologically, so we must understand that His priority (as stated) is to make it clear that they are talking about things that they themselves do not understand.

2. Angels and humans compose two distinctly separate personal categories of the created order. Angels are not human; neither are humans angels. Also, despite a surprisingly popular thought -or, at least what's commonly voiced in response to death- humans do not become angels in heaven. So, we must keep a clear mind as to how far Jesus is wanting us to push the idea of us being like angels. In other words, are we to conclude that -in being like the angels- we would suddenly lose even the experience or memory of having been married, seeing how -as far as we know- angels have never had such an experience?

3. We should wrestle with the wording of the passage itself. The Greek text literally says, "In the resurrection, neither do they marry nor are being given in marriage, but they are as angels of God in heaven." One could argue, albeit rather oddly, that His point is to make it clear that at the time of the resurrection, no new marriages are allowable. Again, odd. What seems more appropriate is that His point is to make it known that in the life to come, we are not bound in marriage as we are in this life.

That being said, if our personal identity is maintained in the life to come and only then is glorified and continues to grow in Christ, it would seem incumbent upon me to conclude that we who are / have been married would know our spouses as such. Our memories would be intact. Likewise would our experiences. The issue of multiple spouses (NOTE: the subject of Jesus' challenging question) would be remedied by the healing grace of God. Even He still bears His wounds.

We have a word for wounds that have been healed: scars.

“Thoughts Concerning the Dead”

Rightfully so, the cold touch of death raises many questions and concerns for those left behind, for death is that single experience of life that the living find wholly foreign. Save but a few (such as the infamous Lazarus), none of us have felt the sting of death personally. To be sure, when a person approaches death, it is divinely intended and most fitting that he approaches in the fellowship of others, but he must at last cross the bridge alone: None can go with him.

One of the most poignant and most often asked questions of the living concerning the departed runs along these lines: “What of the one I love? Is she in heaven now, or will that be later? Will we recognize each other in heaven? Is she aware of things on earth?” Questions like these were raised to me just the other day, and my thoughts included the following...

What we know of the afterlife is limited to what has been revealed of it in the scriptures, chiefly in the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Of course, the Old Testament paid very little attention to the afterlife – and for very good reason. What's more is that the New Testament, while undoubtedly offering some information concerning this subject, offers what is a far cry from an exhaustive theology of death and the afterlife. Rather, what we have are more like photographs, images capturing but moments and scenes. Here, there are no maps to heaven and hell or of heaven and hell, for that matter – only pictures captured along the way, mere glimpses upon their paths.

Biblically-speaking, death is that terrible separation of the soul from the body. It is important here to note that this is no insignificant matter, even in the scope of eternity, for we were created not as mere souls inhabiting bodies as though they were simply the habitats of our “true being” (or, the “real” person as if there were also a fake). Such affirmations seek only to soothe wounds that otherwise hurt too deeply, but they indeed are not grounded in the clear affirmations of scripture. Neither also were we created simply as bodies that will one day die, nothing remaining. Rather, we were created as a unity of both body and soul. In other words, we are spiritually physical and likewise physically spiritual.

The scriptures tell us that –for the faithful– to be absent from the body (i.e., dead) is to be present with the Lord (i.e., in heaven). They further tell us that the precious souls in heaven await the day of the Lord, a day in which they –like Him– will be reunited with their bodies. Indeed, as foreshadowed in the Resurrection of Christ, their bodies are to be resurrected. How it happens, none can tell, but we are led to believe that at the call of Christ, the ground will give up its corpses, these bodies being reknit and reunited with their souls.

Certainly, these bodies will be changed, but they will likewise be the same. In many ways, I have changed in the past ten years. During that time, I have proposed to my then girlfriend, graduated from college, been married to my now wife, entered ecclesial ministry, held two different teaching appointments, all but finished seminary, and witnessed the birth of our three children (with another on the way). Surely, I have changed, but I'm still essentially me. In fact, what it is to be me has developed and even clarified.

In the Gospel accounts, after the morning of the Resurrection, the disciples were able to recognize the risen Lord, though they at times mistook Him for a stranger. He invited Thomas to touch the wounds of His hands and side, and yet He was able to suddenly appear in rooms. He was able to cook breakfast for His disciples on the seaside and even partake of meals Himself, but we also read that He was able to suddenly disappear, leaving his company astonished and in wonder. Without a doubt, His physicality had changed dramatically, but also without a doubt, His body clearly remained physical.

That being said, what of those ever-poignant questions, the questions which are so commonly asked? Please understand that I do not intend here to exhaustively answer these questions, for to do so would be tricky to say the least. Rather, I simply intend to shed the light of scripture on them to whatever extent I can briefly do so.

Firstly, are the departed in heaven now, or will that be later?

It seems evident to me that the scriptures would have us believe that upon death the faithful are instantaneously ushered into the presence of God in Christ. Our lives are hidden in Christ, and to be absent from the body is to be present to the Lord. Such being the case, it seems that those who die in Christ are in the moment of their death found in heaven, while those who die apart from Him are in the same moment found in hell, both awaiting the resurrection of their bodies, after which they will inherit the destined home they have personally claimed and made to be their own.

Secondly, will we recognize each other in heaven?

What survives death is personal identity: all that makes a person who he is. Personal identity is made up of a myriad of personally acquired –or, better yet, developed– components; namely, personalities, experiences, interests, memories, relationships, and more. This identity –no question– remains in tact, particularly for those faithful in Christ, though perhaps not so for those poor souls of hell, such being part of their undoing. With this in mind, it would seem incumbent to affirm that the inhabitants of heaven who knew one another on earth would recognize one another in the afterlife and that those who had not previously known one another would then have the opportunity to begin doing so.

Lastly, are the departed aware of things on earth?

While even such a thought often leads to sincere and sensitive angst for most protestants, we should be careful to not overstate the case of scripture, neither to understate it. What we do read is that in the world to come God will wipe away every tear and that there will be no more sorrow or suffering, but what we do not read is that this happens at death. Rather, we read that this happens after the resurrection of the dead and the recreation of a future heaven and earth, when the new and holy Jerusalem descends from the heaven to come as the city of God on the earth to come. Beyond that, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews calls to his readers' minds countless saints who had already tasted the bitterness of death and were then in the presence of God in Christ. Upon doing so, he turns to the earthly call of his readers to run the race of faith in their present lives, looking unto Jesus, while affirming that the departed faithful surround them presently as a great cloud of witnesses (i.e., observers, confessors). And beyond this, we see in scripture that the resurrected Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for the saints of earth, even as the elders of heaven lift the prayers of the saints to the throne of heaven.

Again, these thoughts are merely the edge of what could be said on the present subject. Nevertheless, it is in the hope toward helpfulness that I offer them. While death is the last enemy to be defeated and the final shame of defeat that we must all one day share, the Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus stands as the great icon of hope beyond despair, life beyond the grave. As Bonhoeffer said years before his own untimely death, faith in the Resurrected One of history has the capacity to transform death itself from shame and defeat into glory and victory.

questions I've been asking the youth

The following is a list of passages and questions our youth have been reading and answering on Thursday nights this Advent as we gather at the Daily Grind for coffee and study...


Luke 1:26-38
What are your favorite memories of the Christmas season?
What do you like most about Christmastime?
How important / meaningful is Christmas to you, and why?
In what ways are you willing to prepare for Christmas this year?

Luke 1:39-56
What does Advent have to do with the presence of Christ?
How does the presence of Christ effect sin?
How does the presence of Christ affect you?
Do others see the presence of Christ in your life; if so or not, why and how?

Matthew 1:18-25
How does the presence of Christ affect the way you treat others?
Are your relationships characterized by love? if so, how? if not, why?
What does Christmas tell us about the nature of God?
How would you rate (1-10) your preparation for this Christmas? Why?

The Advent of Christ

The Advent season is my favorite time of year.

I enjoy the weather as the temperatures begin to spiral downwards. I appreciate the signs, sounds, and smells of as folks ready themselves for Christmas. I love the giving of gifts and the closeness to others that seems to be ever-present each year around this time.

I, one might say, was made for Advent. But rather, in an even greater sense, Advent was made for me.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.

To both the cultural anthropologist and likewise the casual observer, it should be quite evident that this time of year has become radically commercialized and increasingly secularized. In response to such, the almost natural reaction is to fight back. After all, why shouldn't we get in fight? While I'm no pacifist, it occurred to me the other day that my wife and I, rather than choosing to struggle against the move of our culture in regards to Christmas, have instead simply disarmed it. We live for this time of year and actually love it. We make the most of Christmas and actually don't leave it feeling exhausted and exasperated. Our kids get excited about seeing Santa and Rudolph just like they do about Mickey or Tweety, and yet they know that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, that Mommy and Daddy give them their gifts, and that there's something magical about singing hymns and reading scripture as a family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Morn.

Advent was made for me in that the Son was made incarnate for the sake of humanity. It was made for me... It was made for my wife... It was made for my kids... It was made for you. May the blessings of His Advent be yours this season of Holy Days...

...unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given...

A Gay Christian?

Below are some thoughts I shared in response to some seemingly confused and obviously hurtful words regarding homosexuality and the Christian Faith. These thoughts were shared by me in a discussion on Facebook where it seemed that some spoke without any consideration to others, while others spoke without anything that even appeared to be a healthy sampling of coherent biblical understanding. Still others, however, showed themselves to be -perhaps unknowingly- means of grace and conduits of God's holy love. Be sure, though, that the original discussion seemed to be well-intentioned and even a worth-while discussion concerning a very serious and timely matter...

1. It seems that some folks here need to define the terms. (What does it mean to BE a Christian? What does it mean to BE a homosexual? Are we talking about tendencies or actions? After all, the very foundation of debate itself is to define one's terms.)

2. There is a wide chasm between unadulterated truth-speaking and intentional humiliation and degradation of another person made in the image of God. I myself loath political correctness, but I hate even more intentionally harmful words spoken with the greatest of arrogance and highest of raised fists.

3. Anyone who'd say that all sin is just alike -even in the eyes of God- is either biblically illiterate, sadly mistaken, or grasping for the barest of straws to cover his own nakedness. There is a multiplicity of terms for sin in both the New and Old Testaments of Scripture. There is likewise a variety of both degrees and consequences of sin in Scripture. To be certain, all sin leads to death, but be also aware that death comes at varying speeds. There is no way a person can morally -or even theologically / biblically- equate raping another person to speaking a lie to said person.

4. If sin is not healed, it will -like any disease- bring eventual death. Sins can be forgiven, but SIN can only be healed. They can be put in the past, but IT must be finally dealt with, not ignored, not passed over, not over looked, not called okay... Healing is the need: healing is the prescription.

5. "The LOVE of Christ compels us..."

6. "The KINDNESS of God leads to repentance...."

Mightier Than Mind?

...The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbour’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal...

-C. S. Lewis, from the closing paragraph of "The Weight of Glory"

Tonight, the thought occurred to me that there is something quite possibly more powerful than reason: friendship.

The burned-out cliche reads, "People don't care how much you know till they know how much you care."

I, for one, boarder-line loath cliches, particularly the cutesie ones, but for probably the first time in my life of ministry, this one has just now rung true. For what are people with honest questions, real hesitations, and sincere doubts looking? Not folks with answers, confidence, and certainties.

Do I have some answers? Sure, I at least think that I do. Am I confident? Well, not at all times and in every manner, but yeah, at least in matters of faith. Are there some things of which I am certain? Certainly. [By the way, my rule of thumb regarding doubts is that I will not sacrifice what I know for that which I do not know.]

This coming Wednesday holds some significance for me... I'm going to have the opportunity to spend some time with someone I'm beginning to consider a real friend. This person seems to have some major questions, some serious hesitations, and some significant doubts. I've been given an open door to simply sit, listen, and perhaps talk a bit, and all I want to do is be a friend...

To Make God Perfect?

During the Sunday morning sermon a few weeks, I made a statement along these lines...

"Until the Cross, God was not perfect."

To be perfectly honest, I don't quite remember the wording, but these words at least capture the emphasis that I was certainly making. Fair enough?

At the time, I was wrestling with the passage in Hebrews that says:

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (2:10)

In several other places, the writer of Hebrews makes mention of the concept that our High Priest -Christ, the Son of God (God incarnate), that is- has been made perfect (i.e., "being perfected", "having been perfected", etc.).

Here's where we run into the seeming problem... If Christ is the Son of God and no less God than the Father, wasn't He already "perfect"? In what sense does the Cross of Christ perfect the One it bore?

First, the idea of being perfect, here, is the Greek idea. The Hebrews author isn't speaking to the perfection of the divine attributes of God. Rather, it seems, he's engaging us with the idea of perfection as the goal-oriented concept that the Greek term telos captures. The purposed goal in the heart of God was that the Son, the One through whom we were created, might redeem us by stepping into our predicament. Until -in the realm of time and space- that happened, the goal had not been met.

Second, even in the realm of eternity, it seems that in keeping with the divine nature, it is only fitting for the triune God to bear in Himself the sufferings of Man made in the divine image. Christ, being the very image of the Father, serves as Mediator between God and Man, becoming the theanthropic Person (lit., the God-Man) so that He might redeem those made in said image. Having been created in the image, they should be redeemed in the image. Were it not for the Suffering of the Son, for the Cross of Christ, God's heart and mind it seems would fall short of what it truly is. In other words, if God intends to save through suffering and then does not save through suffering, He is less than what He intended to be.

Please do bear with these thoughts, for they are weeks old and haven't been well-developed. Please also feel free to challenge, critique, or rebuke.

Day 5

Some Scripture:

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.”

-Philippians 2:12-18 (NLT)

Some Reflection:

As we prepare to depart from one another's presence at camp, we do so in appreciation of one another and with a tremendous opportunity before us. We are being commissioned by the Lord of the harvest to go out into the fields of this world and live like brilliant testaments of His brightness. In doing so, we have the potential within ourselves to live successfully faithful Christian lives – not separately as if islands off to ourselves, but in joyous community with one another. You can be a success story for God; I can be a success story for God. You and I together can encourage one another, celebrate with one another, and challenge one another.

As Paul understood it, we need each other – even if for nothing else, to be able to confidently recognize the benefits of our unique investments into one another. I need to see that what I have done for you has not been in vain, and you need to know the same concerning your investment in me.

A successful Christian life, however, is one of uncompromising loyalty to Christ – not one of grumbling and bickering and – God forbid – filthiness, but a life of obedience, a life that reflects Him. Paul boldly affirms that, if you and I are going to live a lives like this, we have a part to play. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” You don't save yourself, for it is only by grace that you have been saved. Nevertheless, as the Church Father said long ago, “The God who made you apart from yourself will not save you apart from yourself.” If you are going to live obediently for God, guess what... only you can do it. But the good news is that, as Paul also affirms, “It is God who works in you both to will and do His good pleasure.” The Christian life is not a life of being off by oneself, left to one's own devices and abilities, trying to please God who is far away. No, the Christian life is a life lived in the power of the ever-near and personally-indwelling Holy Spirit, a life that is also surrounded by and bathed in Christian fellowship and loyalty.

Now, as camp draws to its close and having made our respective marks on one another, it's time to go and make our marks on the world. The world is waiting. Jesus is waiting. You are a unique person, complete with a unique mark to be made. If you don't make it, sadly enough, it will be left unmade. Are you in?

Day 4

Some Scripture:

“A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

-Luke 6: 43-45 (NLT)

Some Reflection:

There is a song by mewithoutYou called “Bullet to Binary (part 2).” In it, Aaron Weiss says, “We all well know, we’re gonna reap what we sow. We all well know what kind of crops are gonna grow.”

It is no big secret to any of us that when you plant an apple seed, you will not grow anything other than an apple tree, which will then produce... that's right: apples. We are fairly intelligent people who do not expect a tomato plant to just jump up from the plot of ground where we have planted peppers. We also do not expect to look out in our yards and suddenly see rose bushes budding and blooming where no rose bushes were first planted.

Why is it, then, that we expect to see something simply come out of our lives that did not get planted there? Why do we so often think that we will be good people when we do not put anything good into ourselves? It's strange: so many of us think that they will somehow miraculously begin producing fruit in their lives when no seeds are planted. Let's face it: either some of us are just weird or some of us have really fooled ourselves into believing such a thing that is a far cry from reality.

We think we will be good people merely by wishing to be good. All the while knowing that no amount of wishful thinking will grow a tomato plant, why would we even begin to think that it would be any different with the fruit of our lives?

Be honest with yourself. What kind of seeds are you planting in your life? What kind of crops will you grow? Everyone else can see them – it isn't really a secret. Are you planting seeds that are good and will grow into good fruit for everyone to see and enjoy? Or are you planting seeds of evil that will grow into something in which no one wants a part? Will you be happy with the fruit of your life, or will you be embarrassed for others to see what you reap?

To quote another mewithoutYou song, “A glass can only spill what it contains.” Regarding your life, what's in it? You should know; you've played a part in getting it there.