2020 vision (A "new" New Year's Resolution)

A New "New Years Resolution" 

Luke tells us a radical story in the 7th chapter of his Gospel (The good news of Jesus). Jesus is invited to a dinner party at the house of a Pharisee. This offends me. You see the Pharisees are the "bad guys." I mean they weren't but THEY TOTALLY WERE! They abused the system. They didnt care for you unless you play the game by their rules. And in many ways, when Jesus came he destroyed this religious system that they created (and sadly we have re-created in the West). But Jesus- totally full of love says Yes. Ya, I get it, he ate with sinners and prostitutes too but Jesus even ate with those that he would later rubke. He came. He ate. He gave them (and us) a billion chances to be loved by him. 


Jesus is hanging with the Pharisees when a "sinful woman" comes into the house, into the party. She was not invited yet when she heard that Jesus was there she was driven by love to find him. She broke open a jar of alabaster perfume. She then lays at the feet of Jesus weeping like a mad woman. She takes her tears and perfume and cleans the dirty feet of the Messiah and drying His feet with her hair. 

What a freak. What a weird-o. Right? But when one is compelled by love we tend to act irrationally. 

With one statement the Pharisee tries to take out two birds with one stone. "If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kinds of woman is touching Him- for she is a sinner!" 

They were half right. She was considered a "sinner" because of her actions. She made some bad choices. She went down the wrong road once or twice (or more) and she was now isolated from her community. In fact, many in that culture were considered "unclean" as a result of their actions. 

Jesus, being the beast that He is, responds in a story. He tells what we now refer to as the parable of the 2 debtors. 

"Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?” “I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied. “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Jesus then points to the woman. Not to accuse but to PRAISE. He wanted to set her up as an example. He says "follow her lead"

“Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.You did not greet Me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing My feet since I arrived. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with perfume. Therefore I tell you, because her many sins have been forgiven, she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Did you hear Jesus? He says "Because her many sins are forgiven she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little" In other words when we know how much we have been forgiven by the God of this universe we can respond in love. Love to Him and love to others. 

I don't know how your 2019 was. Was it the best year of your life? The worst? Somewhere in between? 

Can I propose a 2020 resolution? This is kinda vague so you can make it more personal but I propose we get 2020 vision. 

For way too long we have misunderstood what God requires of us. We read the Bible and turn it into a rule book. I've even heard people call it "Basic instructions before leaving earth." 

But what if following God wasn't that complicated? What if for 2000 years we have been muddying the water?

Here is what Nadia Bolz-Weber says "There is no resolution that, if kept, will make you more worthy of love. You, as your actual self and not as some made up ideal, are already worthy."

You see to follow Jesus is as simple as a kid playing "follow the leader." That is why we read the Bible. We see what Jesus did. And then we copy his actions. It's literally that simple. 

You see we must have 2020 vision in the year 2020. We must know that we are loved by God, have the example of Jesus, and can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to love others in the same way that we have been loved. 

I pray that God gives you 2020 vision in the year 2020. I pray that He helps you to see God clearly as the God of love and you are fully loved by Him. 

Waiting is okay!

I hate Waiting! Seriously!

When I played football in high school I hated that we had to stay after school and wait for 2 hours until we could get ready for the pregame meal. Commercials? They are the worst because it means I have to wait for the show to come back on!

Do you hate waiting as much as I do?And currently (on July 1st 2019) we are waiting for our daughter to be born. She is due in 20 days but Im sure my wife is ready now!!!!!

We live in an instant gratification society! But can waiting be a good thing?Today, I want to look at a popular Bible Character to make my point that waiting can be a good thing! His name is King David.

David was not always King. When we first meet him he is a shepherd boy. This job was dirty and he received no fame for his hard work. One day, Samuel is told by God to go to Jesse's house and to anoint with oil one of his sons because he was going to be the next king of Israel. This was a bold move for Samuel because Israel already had a king (Saul).

But Samuel listened to God. He entered the house of Jesse and look at each son and asked God, "Is it he?" But each time God said, "No."

The Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."- 1 Samuel 17:6


Samuel asked Jesse, "Is this it?" Jesse replied, "There is one more son but he is the youngest. He is out tending the sheep"


That was David.

David comes in and is anointed with oil. But you know what's funny? David doesn't become king.


David goes back into the field to do his job.

Years later- The Israelites are in a great battle with the Philistines. The giant, Goliath, challenges the Israelites to a battle. If you beat me, we will be your slaves but If I can beat your champion.... you must become our slave.

Guess who wasn't invited to the battle?- You got it! David wasn't even invited. But one day, his brothers needed lunch. So they welcome him to the battle field.

David couldn't believe what was happening.... Why is no one defeating this uncircumcised Philistine?

So David steps up to battle. King Saul didnt think David could do it but David drops the mic when he says.....

"The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of the Philistine."- 1 Samuel 17:37

Basically, David is telling Saul while you were sitting on your throne being king I was waiting for this day.

Waiting doesn't mean stopping. Waiting means training. It means being faithful with what God tells you to do so he can use you for greater things.

****Spoiler Alert***

David beats Goliath. David becomes king. It didn't happen overnight. It didn't happen in his timing but in God's. The same is true with us.

Has God given you a promise and you are waiting for it to come about? Good! Waiting is a good place to be. Dont rush the process but chose to live in the moment. If you rush the process you won't be prepared for the thing to come about.

So Today Wait. Train. Be Faithful. Because Good things come to those who are faithful. 

Why did Jesus have to die (Good Friday 2019)

When I think about Good Friday I cant help but think about atonement theory. The word atonement means "a reparation for a wrong or injury." So what atonement theories try to do is answer the question: "What happened on the cross?" or a better way to say it would be "What did the cross accomplish?"

A common (at least in the West) atonement theory is Penal substitution. This view believes that God gave himself in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer the death, punishment and curse due to fallen humanity as the penalty for our sin. This all sounds good but what is it really teaching? 

(PS: I believe one can hold this view of atonement and have a healthy understanding of God.)

The problem with this view is it often pits God vs Jesus. This view believe that God is Holy. God is set apart. He cannot look upon sin. Maybe even is he mad because of sin. Sometimes people emphasis the "Wrath of God." In other words, God looks at humanity with a big disappointed. He shakes is head or maybe worst. He is pissed. He is mad. But we have Jesus right? He is the good guy who is referred to as the scapegoat. He is perfect so he is able to take on our sins AND appease the wrath of God.


What upsets me the most about this view is the character of God. Is God mad at Jesus? Is he or was he mad at me? The answer has to be NO! He is love. He created us out of love and to be loved by him. This view of atonement is incomplete.... So why did Jesus have to die?


A New Way of Thinking about the cross.

Okay. So this way is not really that new but us in the West it is. This atonement theory is called "Christus Victor" which is Latin for "Christ the Victor."

What I like most about this view is it NEVER pits Jesus vs God. The goal of the cross IS NOT to appease a wrathful God but for Jesus to win the war against sin, death, and Satan. God has never been mad at you or Jesus. In fact, God says these words to Jesus at his baptism, "This is my dearly loved son, who brings me great joy."


Is this in the Bible?

"He (God) cancelled the record of the chargers against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross."- Colossians 2:14-15

A Metaphor 

Imgaine God is a fisherman, Satan is the fish, and Jesus is the bait.

On Good Friday, Jesus willingly become the bait. He willingly died. Satan assumed he had won. But did not have the wisdom to understand what was going on. Jesus' death on the cross defeated death forever! He showed he had the power over death and the grave when he rose from the grave on Sunday.

The cross didn't change God's mind about us but it should change our mind about him. It reveals what God has always been like. He has always been a Good Shepherd that was willing to lie down his life for his sheep.


Then how should we live?

The Cross should bring us hope. The cross reminds us that Good Friday is never the end. Sunday is always a few days away. We are to endure and grow in the process when faced with difficulties.

The Cross should make us thankful. We should be people that are thankful to God for willing to lie down his life for us.

The Cross should make us forgiving people. As CS Lewis said: "To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable in others because Christ has forgiven the inexcusable in you."



So back to the original question: Why did Jesus have to die?  The purpose of the cross was not to appease a wrathful God but for Jesus to win the war against sin, death, and Satan. 


I hope you received something good from this blog and that you are having a wonderful Easter Weekend! Blessings!

Come Home

Jesus told some pretty remarkable stories.

A guy named Luke chose to put three similar stories together in what we today call Luke Chapter 15. Of course the Bible had no chapters when it was written but still these stories were closely connected so Luke, as a good author, put them back-to-back-to-back. 

The first is about a lost coin being found. 

The second is about a lost sheep being found. 

And the final is about a lost son (well two) being found. 

All three stories tell of the greatness of God but for now I will focus my attention on the third of the three stories. 

You might have heard of this story (or parable) as the "Parable of the Prodigal Son"

The word "Prodigal" means "spending money or resources freely and recklessly." Others have called this story the "Parable of the Lost Son." but that just doesn't sound as cool. 

This story was told as two groups listened:

1) The Pharisees. The religious. The law keepers. Those who believed they were right with God based on their merit and looked down on those who could not or would not abide to God's and their systems. 

and on the other side.....

2) The sinners. The tax collectors. Those that have either separated themselves or been separated from the Jewish community. They believed they have done too much to be welcomed back and honestly why would they want to follow the God that the Pharisees believed in????

So that's the OG (original) audience. Yes, we can hear the words and we can learn but what was he teaching them first? We will come back to this question.....

Summary of the Parable 

A king had two sons.

One day the younger son told his father that he wanted his share of the estate. Of course he couldnt go to the bank because his property and livestock was his money. 

What an ask!???

But the shocking part of the story is the Father does it. He gives his younger son his inheritance and watches him leave. 

This prodigal son has the time of his life in which Luke calls "wild living." One can only imagine. Drugs, sex, and rock and roll (okay maybe not rock and roll) but you get the picture. And he had friends to enjoy this money with him..... but......

One day the money ran out and so did his "friends." 

This nameless son begins to grow hungry and needs to find a job. The only job he could find was involved feeding pigs on his hands and knees in the mud..... but.....

He comes to "his senses." Luke tells us that he comes up with a plan to go back and work for his father "After all his father's slaves eat better than this!!!!" So he gets ready to go back. He makes the hike and he prepares his speech. 

But while he was a while off he sees his Father running. Men didn't run in this culture. Women ran. Kids ran. But men, especially kings, did not run. Was he mad? "Of course, he was" thought the son. 

"I am dead"

Yet that's not how this story goes..... The Father in a remarkable, unpredictable move..... welcomes the son back into the family. Furthermore, he decides to throw a feast for his son "because he was lost but is now found."

Don't forget: there is an older son. 

The Son who had been working for his father ALL THESE YEARS. 

In fact, when the party starts the older son is still in the field WORKING! The father notices that his older son is not at the party so he LEAVES the party.... and asks his son to come back in.

And just like the Sopranos, we are left without an answer.

Back to the OG audience

Who was Jesus telling this story to. Before we can across the bridge into our culture we must understand with whom Jesus is speaking. 

Do you remember the sinners, the tax collectors, those excluded from the community of faith...... They are represented by the younger son. 

Do you remember the Pharisees, the religious, those in but are only in because they did the right things..... They are represented by the older son...

Jesus: The great story teller

We like to focus on the younger son because its obvious sin. Its obvious rebellion. Running away from the Father but both those on his left and those on his right were "lost" in God's sight. 

What do I mean by lost? I mean they don't know who they are. They don't know they are truly loved by a God who doesn't need their love. But a God who is like the King in this story. This King reckless or a Prodigal-like fashion gives his love expecting NOTHING in return. 

But we don't like this kind of God. He doesn't fit within our system and it is hard to CONTROL people when you love them. 

What if the Son had a different brother....

The more I study this story the more I get mad at the older brother...... Are you kidding me? Why didn't he go after him?

If you have a moment read the first two stories in this chapter (The Lost coin and the lost sheep). In both of those chapters..... SOMEONE goes after them. 

Of course a coin is not looking but can a coin find itself? No

Can a sheep? no. They are not much smarter than a coin. 

Yet the woman looks and rejoices when she finds her lost coin. 

And the Shepherd was willing to leave 99 to find his 1 lost sheep. 

But who goes after this son..........

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE OLDER BROTHER!!!!! But unfortunately for this younger son he didn't receive a good older brother. 

This story is meant to make us long for a good older brother..... of course we know we have one. His name is Jesus. 

He left the comfort of Heaven to welcome us in our rebellious nature back home. 

Our choice

Do you find yourself rebelling, acting out? Like the younger son?---- You are welcomed home. 

You are welcomed into God's family. He loves you. 

Do you find yourself obeying, toeing the line, doing good so you are accepting? Like the older son?- You are welcomed too! Join the party! You are loved by God and you don't have to obey to be loved by him because you are already FULLY accepted. 

I don't know where you find yourself in this season of life but I hope you know that Jesus is the best OLDER SON ever and that he loved and loves you fully. Because when we dont have the pressure to act out or the pressure to toe the line we can truly live in the moment as children of God. 

Life sucks then you die

Where do you turn when the good, bad, or ugly happens in your life?

Maybe you celebrate with a friend that you got that promotion over drinks? 

Maybe you vent to your cat about how unfair life can be?

Maybe you post on social media looking for reassurance and confirmation bias that your position is the "right" one?

Maybe you run to alcohol, drugs, or the like?

But the sad reality is we tend to run to the wrong things. Maybe we turn on the TV and listen to an inspiring televangelists and  feel good for a moment. But it's like eating something really bad for you. It feels good right then but later that night your stomach is not happy with you. We consume so many things looking for happiness, pleasure, and meaning but in the words of Rolling Stones, "we can't get no satisfaction"

Psalm 74 

This Psalm is inscribed by Asaph which Bible scholars believe was a "seer", a friend of David, and a man from the tribe of Levi. He would lead the singing and so we can view his words as a general cry of the people group of the time. 

How life is "suppose to go"

General wisdom of the day and wisdom that many of us assume to be true today is 

Good actions--- Good people---- Good life

Bad actions---- Bad people---- Bad life.

We assume, we are conditioned, we are taught, that if there is a bad action that there must be a consequence. This can happen right now or in the "age to come." 

But the wisdom literature found in the Bible does not agree with this reality. Ask Job how "fair" life is. Ask the writer of Ecclesiates (maybe Solomon) if there is any meaning to life. Ask any Jew if life is fair in light of the Holocaust. Or maybe ask Jesus is he receive just treatment going to the cross?

I could go on and on. Is it fair that many children in the world go hungry? Is it fair that young women get sold into sex slavery? Of course not. 

What is fair?

A common theme throughout the Psalms is wondering why the wicked prosper. 

"For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don't have troubles like other people; they're not plagued with problems like everyone else."- (Psalm 73:3-5)

Of course everyone has issues but here the Psalmist is jealous because it appears that someone that ISNT following God is having a better life than him. 

Hopelessness 

"Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain"- (Psalm 73:13-14)

Have you ever gotten to the point of hopelessness. What is the point? Things will never change. Things will never get better.

Judgement 

This hopelessness can lead to evil thoughts. 

"Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff of destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning."- Psalm 73:18-20

So what?

Unfortunately, this is where many of us end the story. We get to a point of hopelessness and judgement and there is no turning back. We divide people into groups. Saying these are the good people while THEY are the bad people. 

We go to work, eat dinner, go to bed and repeat. We lose hope. We lose vision. And life has no purpose.

But......

What if we confessed?

Ya, I said it..... Maybe we are lying to ourselves. Maybe we have unrealistic expectations of current events that they blind our minds to the work of the Holy Spirit on this earth. 

And to be honest, Im somewhere on this journey, depending on the day. I get upset because things haven't gone my way (personally) and I see so much injustice. How could God let someone like Trump be our president? I know God doesn't pick presidents, we do! But still..... why let a wicked person prosper?

Maybe you don't do things on a national level but something happens in your life and you cry out..."God WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP THIS from happening?" Don't you care?

But..... when we pray these prayers we are acting as if we are God. And you aren't and I am not. And thank goodness for that! Right? 

Let's finish the Psalm 

"Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant--- I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. "- Psalm 73:21-25

I love this prayer/song to God. He confessed that he was bitter in how he treated others but still remembered that he belongs to God. This is important that as we confessed our actions and perceptions of the world over to God that in the end we BELONG. We are his children. Just because we haven't gotten it yet does not mean we are not included at the dinner table. 

He holds our hand and helps us walk on the right path. 

Let's continue....

"My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do."- Psalm 73:26-28 

Life sucks?

Sometimes. Sometimes life sucks because we are stupid or because of the nature of free will. We read that even our health may fail (which we hate to think about as humans) but God remains the strength of our heart. 

A simple solution 

1) Don't be bitter when things don't go your way. 

2) Remember you belong to God. 

3) Remember God is with you. 

My son is almost 2 (his birthday is in April). He in our little explorer. There are moments when he just needs to run around and have freedom but there are other times when I need to hold his hand or carry him depending on where we are. 

Do you know that God is the perfect father/mother. He protects us. There are times when Neil loves to hold my hand but there are times when he would rather be free. I know (or at least I think I do) when he can roam freely and when it would be better for me to hold his hand/carry him. 

I think God is similar to that. 

But do we trust Him? Do we trust Him when life is good? Do we draw near to God when life is bad or even ugly?

This is a journey and it looks differently for everyone but I just want to challenge you to spend time in the presence of God. Spend time worshipping him with music and through reading the Bible. But also throughout the day.