Life by the Slice

The Centrality of Christ

Came across some great statements about the centrality of Christ on Alan Hirsch's blog...

"Jesus Christ is the gravitational pull that brings everything together and gives them significance, reality, and meaning. Without him, all things lose their value. Without him, all things are but detached pieces floating around in space"

"Seek a truth, a value, a virtue, or a spiritual gift, & you have obtained something dead.
Seek Christ, embrace Christ, know Christ, & you have touched him who is Life."

"We believe that the major disease of the church today is JDD: Jesus Deficit Disorder. The person of Jesus is increasingly politically incorrect, and is being replaced by the language of “justice,” “the kingdom of God,” “values,” and “leadership principles.”"

Check out the full post at on Hirsch's blog

That Clean Feeling

Have you ever worked hard and gotten dirty? I mean super dirty. So dirty you can feel the dirt and see it on your skin. So dirty your sweat mixs with the dust and the dirty to form a crust of a second skin. So dirty you are hopeless to do anything about it.

Britton and I were in Africa in 2007 to build a house for Lifeline Malawi. Malawi, Africa is beautiful place, but it is also very dusty. On top of that the bricks we used were made of a redish clay. So between the dust and bricks I got dirty. During those two weeks I was dirtier than I have ever been in my life. On our first work day I showed up in my clean blue jeans and my clean Army & Navy t-shirt. It didn’t take long for my clothes and every inch of me to get dirty. No matter what I did I got dirty. The dust and dirt mixed with my sweat to become caked on. I didn’t even have to be working in order to get dirty, walking down the road kicked up dust that stuck to me and made my shoes and clothing dirty. After a full day of work I was covered from head to toe with dust and dirt. I was so dirty I didn’t look like myself. I didn’t feel like myself. I can’t stand being dirty and so I felt and looked disgusting.

When we returned to the mission house where we were staying each night I would shower, I was so dirty the soap bar turned brown and when the water hit me it turned brown. I had to scrub and scrub in order to get clean. But when I was done I felt new, fresh, like a totally different person.

The dust and dirt of Africa and how it stuck to me reminds me of sin. When we sin, we become dirty. The more we sin the dirtier we become. No matter what we do the sin sticks to us and unlike dirt there is nothing that you can do on your own to get clean again. No amount of showering or scrubbing will make you clean. We can try to hid our sin, but our sin covers us. Isaiah says, “Your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.” (Isaiah 59:3) And even worse our sin cuts us off from God. Isaiah says, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” (Isaiah 59:2)

But God is not content to leave us dirty in our sin and cut off from him (John 3:16-18). When we put our faith in Jesus Christ our sins are washed away. God says “Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18). Our sins are washed away and we are made clean. Just as the shower made me clean after a hard day of work in Africa, stripping away the dirt and made me feel fresh and new. Faith in Jesus strips away the sin that makes us dirty and doesn’t just make us feel new, it actually makes us new (2 Cor 5:17).

I love that clean feeling after a shower, but even more I love the feeling that comes from knowing that Jesus has washed away my sins and made me clean.

God and the Rainbow

 Last Monday night I was leaving work and saw two things that made me sit in my car in awe of God and His creative nature.  

The first was a fully arc'd rainbow.  I don't think I've ever seen a full rainbow before.  I mean, you usually you see part of it, one end or the middle or something like that.  But this was a full rainbow.   It started on one side of the horizon and crossed the bow river to the other side of the valley.  It was fully visible and clearer than I've ever seen a rainbow before.  It was so bright that the rainbow reflected in the puddles in the parking lot of the church.  It was incredibly beautiful. 

The second thing that I saw, which I have never seen before, was the Rainbow touching down.  I sat in the parking lot just looking across the Highway and it looked like no more than 300 yards away the rainbow was touching down.  I was so awed by this that I wiped out my cell phone and took a picture. I also tried to spot the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but no joy.

Of course I was reminded of God's covenant with Noah in Genesis 9:13 and I was thankful that I serve a God that never changes.  But I was also awed (and still am) with how creative and imaginative God is to create the Rainbow. 

I enjoyed that drive home because as I sang "God of Wonders" all I could see was this rainbow stretching out before me over Calgary. What a way to end the day, enjoying God's beautiful creation.  Thank you God for this experience.

Meaningful Quote #5

Alright, last quote from Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (I just finished it and submitted my book review for ordination, so I'm onto another book)

This is Ajith Fernando...

"Most people would like to save themselves...The message of the cross cuts at the hear of human pride, which is the essence of sin.  Adam and Eve's sin was that they wanted to save themselves, independent of God.  They did not want to be dependent on a Supreme God for salvation or for anything else.  People like to think that they are saving themselves.  It makes them feel good and helps to temporarily still the voice of insecurity and emptiness that is theirs because they are separated from their maker." (p. 175 of Perspectives on the World Christian Movement)

Are you trying to save yourself? Trying to earn your salvation by being the best, by trying to earn acclaim from those around you?  I struggle with this everyday, but Fernando is right, its about pride and its about not trusting that who I am is totally ok with God and truly loved just as I am by Him. 

Meaningful Quotes #4

Here's an interesting thought where our motivation for missions comes from.  This is Tim Dearborn writing about our role in missions and fulfilling the Great Commission.

"Lack of interest in mission is not fundamentally caused by an absence of compassion or commitment, nor by lack of information or exhortation.  And lack of interest in mission is not remedied by more shocking statistics, more gruesome stories or more emotionally manipulative commands to obedience.  It is best remedied by intensifying peoples' passion for Christ, so that the passions of his heart become passions that propel our heart."

 (p. 90, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement)

Meaningful Quotes #3

Here's another quote I just read today...it is on knowing and following God's will/way for our lives and was written by Henry Blackaby and Avery Willis.

"Our ways seem good to us.  We may succeed in moderate accomplishments.  When we try to do the work of God in our own ways, however, we will never see the mighty power of God in what we do, and the world will not see God revealing Himself to them.  It is only by God's power that people come to know and worship God.  When God accomplishes His purposes in His ways through us, people will come to know God."

(p. 57 Perspectives on the Worldwide Christian Movement)

Meaningful Quotes #2

I am continuing my posts of some quotes that I read recently...

This is Stanley A Ellison on Satan's work in the world...

"His goal in life is to counterfeit the works of God.  This has been his prized ambition ever since he went into business for himself.  His first recorded intention ended with the words, "I will be like the Most High" (Isa. 14:14).  This counterfeiting effort is his most effective ploy, for the more closely he can imitate God's work, the less likely will we be inclined to seek God or pursue His will."

(p. 18 Perspectives on the World Christian Movement)

This is an interesting statement when you think about how much other religions and thoughts borrow principles from faith in God.  In college I took a world religions course and I was struck by how similar other religions are to Christianity.  That's Satan's ploy, to make all religions look the same, because if all ways lead to God, then people get confused and in the end the do not find the way to God...which is Jesus! 

Meaningful Quotes #1

I've been doing a bunch of reading lately for my ordination requirements and come across some statements that have impacted me.  I'd thought I'd share them...

The first is from John R. Stott...

"To sum up, when God spoke to us in Scripture He used human language, and when he spoke to us in Christ he assumed human flesh.  In order to reveal himself, he both emptied and humbled himself.  That is the model of evangelism which the Bible supplies.  There is a self-emptying and self-humbling in all authentic evangelism; without it we contradict the Gospel and misrepresent the Christ we proclaim."

(p. 24 of Perspectives on the World Christian Movement)

Sharing your faith starts first with being humble, realizing who we are and what God did for us; from this action comes the action of sharing this Good News with those around. 

Driven or Called 2

I've been thinking more about what it means to be driven versus called. Here is another way that I know that I'm leaning to hard on my person drive and not listening enough to God's will can and calling on my life.

When I'm driven...

• I believe I have to do everything myself.  When it comes to living a God honouring, Christ pleasing life I feel weighted down.  I think, I have to do this, think like this, act like this.  Kingdom living becomes a list of do's and don't's that I must live up to...and no matter how I try, I fail.

When I am called...

• I live in the reality that Christ's grace (translate as help) is sufficient for me and it is new every morning.  I realize that that there is no possible way I can do it on my own; it is Christ who helps me through everyday and every situation.  Christ living in me and changing me and as a result my thoughts, actions and being are radically changed.  I realize that Kingdom living is about a relationship with the God of the universe and the list is not a list do's and don't's but a list of the markings of a citizen of God's Kingdom.

Driven or Called?

I am reading a book by Carson Pue called Mentoring Leaders.  In chapter 8 Pue writes about budgeting time and resources.  One of the things he says is...

"Leaders need to understand that when the Lord gave us twenty-four hours in a day, he gave us all the time we need to do what he is calling us to do.  So if you are as a leader are frazzled by busyness, it is time to examine closely the priorities of your life.  If Jesus gives us enough time to do his will then being overly busy is suspect."

What Pue said resonates with me and I have come back to re-read this paragraph a number of times over the weekend. 

This morning I read James 4 and in verses 13 to 17 James warns about self-confidence and self-reliance.  I believe what James is talking about is not only about boasting in ourselves, but also living a life of driveness versus a life of calling.  James says...

"Look here, you who say 'Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.' ... What you ought to say is "If the Lord want us to, we will live and do this or that." 

I am a very driven person, I often have the mindset that "If I don't...then it won't..."  I've been waging war on this driviness within me for a few years.  I want to be someone who is called by God into every good and perfect blessing that he has for me.  I do not want to be someone who is consumed with making things happen for himself.  I want to be someone who trusts on the promise of Jesus in Matthew 6 where he says, "See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."  

I have found that when I live a life that is driven...

• I make plans about where I want to be and when I want to get there...then I ask God to bless those plans
• I become consumed with achieving the goals and find little time for the other things in my life (family, fun, my spiritual well-being, health) and this results in feelings of guilt.
• My joy quotient is low, because I'm always focused on achieving the next thing and I get frustrated when I'm not achieving
• I am slow to grow in my relationship with God

But I've found that when I live a life that is called...

• I listen for God's calling and what is it the Lord wants
• I have time for it all...all that God has called me to do and be.  (family, fun, spiritual well-being, health)
• My joy quotient is high, I enjoy the moment, knowing I am exactly where God has called me to be. 
• I experience growth in my relationship with God.

Reading these two lists, who would want to be driven?

What Pue said resonated with me because I believe it to be true.  What God has called us to do and be,  He has also given us the time, energy and resources to accomplish.  The longings that God has put in my heart can all be accomplished, I just need to listen to his calling and do his will. 

Father, help me to be a person of calling always listening and obeying your will.   Help me to put away the busyness and do what you would have me do.