Do you know anybody who doesn't laugh?
Even if you try really hard to make them laugh?
Can it be that the Father of all blessings has not blessed some of His children with a sense of the ridiculous?
You've heard the saying, "It's better to laugh than to cry." What about those who are unable to see how preposterous life sometimes is?
There's this man I know. A good guy. A sincere person. In fact, if I were to think of a word to describe him, it would be "earnest." Not the guy who made all those stupid movies, either.
See what I mean? It's the ability to make that leap. It's automatic, I think, in most of us to connect one meaning of a word with another sillier meaning. It's like how you sometimes step outside a non-funny situation to see the absurdity of the whole thing. And you crack a joke. And you laugh.
This guy I know. He doesn't laugh. Actually, he sometimes looks slightly pained. Most of the time, being a really good guy, he simply pauses for a moment, waiting politely, while I get hold of myself.
You know what's really strange? His mom is so droll. She'll say something totally off the wall, then watch you crack up before she breaks into this little smile. I love this lady!
Hey, I can be serious too. No really. I'm not kidding.
Here's a question: can there be joy without laughter? I think maybe so, but I'm not sure how.
What do you think?
Monday, May 14, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
A Prayer For the Dead
What's this? No such thing, I hear you say. Surely Jesus teaches us in Luke 16:19-31 that there is no redemption after death.
Which is true. But hear me out.
The psalmist in the 88th Psalm feels so estranged from God that he likens himself to one already dead. The Psalm ends with no ray of hope as most of the lament psalms do.
The final line? "...darkness is my closest friend." And that brings me to the point of tears. But not for the psalmist.
We were born dead. In at least three places (Ephesians 2:1; 2:5; Colossians 2:13), Paul teaches us this. He also speaks of quickening to those of us who have received Christ.
So I weep for those of my loved ones who are still at enmity with God; who want no part of his worship, or fellowship with his saints, or any comfort from his holy word.
Yes they still walk around above ground, breathing God's good air and enjoying the blessings of life on this earth. But their hearts are dead (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26).
May God have mercy on them and quicken their hearts of stone.
I pray for the dead.
Which is true. But hear me out.
The psalmist in the 88th Psalm feels so estranged from God that he likens himself to one already dead. The Psalm ends with no ray of hope as most of the lament psalms do.
The final line? "...darkness is my closest friend." And that brings me to the point of tears. But not for the psalmist.
We were born dead. In at least three places (Ephesians 2:1; 2:5; Colossians 2:13), Paul teaches us this. He also speaks of quickening to those of us who have received Christ.
So I weep for those of my loved ones who are still at enmity with God; who want no part of his worship, or fellowship with his saints, or any comfort from his holy word.
Yes they still walk around above ground, breathing God's good air and enjoying the blessings of life on this earth. But their hearts are dead (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26).
May God have mercy on them and quicken their hearts of stone.
I pray for the dead.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Master of Puppets
Master of puppets,
I'm pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams.
Sounds like addiction, hmm? Name your poison.
As I peruse the lyrics,
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/metallica/master+of+puppets_20092140.html
maybe I can see something else there. The thing behind the addiction. The appetite behind all the destruction.
Sin.
And its author.
The thief. He comes to kill, steal and destroy.
The father of lies. Look at the lyrics again:
Master, master, where's the dreams that I've been after?
Master, master, promised only lies.
Sound familiar?
The fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable to make one wise. Remember?
John Owen said "Be sure to be killing sin or it will be killing you."
It will make you a slave and take your life.
Listen to the master of puppets gloat:
Come crawling faster, obey your master.
It doesn't have to be this way.
O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemy triumph over me (Psalm 25:2
I'm pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams.
Sounds like addiction, hmm? Name your poison.
As I peruse the lyrics,
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/metallica/master+of+puppets_20092140.html
maybe I can see something else there. The thing behind the addiction. The appetite behind all the destruction.
Sin.
And its author.
The thief. He comes to kill, steal and destroy.
The father of lies. Look at the lyrics again:
Master, master, where's the dreams that I've been after?
Master, master, promised only lies.
Sound familiar?
The fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable to make one wise. Remember?
John Owen said "Be sure to be killing sin or it will be killing you."
It will make you a slave and take your life.
Listen to the master of puppets gloat:
Come crawling faster, obey your master.
It doesn't have to be this way.
O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemy triumph over me (Psalm 25:2
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Q&A
Q. "What is truth? (John 18:38a)"
There has been a lot of discussion about this around here lately. Can we claim to know the truth? Can we overthink the truth? Can we oversimplify the truth?
Pilate's question to Jesus may have been merely a cynical dismissal of Christ's claims about himself. Or it may have been the honest query of a heart on the horns of a moral dilemma.
Nowadays, the question might be asked as a prelude to a reminder that it is the height of arrogance to claim to know the truth.
A. "I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6a);"
This is Jesus speaking of himself.
"I tell you the truth."
Jesus utters this phrase 78 times in the New Testament (NIV; "verily,verily" in the KJV; "truly, truly" in the ESV). In John's gospel, he frequently uses this phrase when making statements about himself.
If we believe Paul's assertion that all scripture is God's inspired word (2 Timothy 3:16), then we hold the answer to Pilate's question in our hands.
I've gotta say it seems simple to me. Maybe that's because I spent years and years pursuing alternative truths. That's the philosophical equivalent of running down a series of blind alleys. In the dark.
Are you a Christian? What are you going to believe? The biblical signposts seem clear:
"To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. (Isaiah 8:20)"
There has been a lot of discussion about this around here lately. Can we claim to know the truth? Can we overthink the truth? Can we oversimplify the truth?
Pilate's question to Jesus may have been merely a cynical dismissal of Christ's claims about himself. Or it may have been the honest query of a heart on the horns of a moral dilemma.
Nowadays, the question might be asked as a prelude to a reminder that it is the height of arrogance to claim to know the truth.
A. "I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6a);"
This is Jesus speaking of himself.
"I tell you the truth."
Jesus utters this phrase 78 times in the New Testament (NIV; "verily,verily" in the KJV; "truly, truly" in the ESV). In John's gospel, he frequently uses this phrase when making statements about himself.
If we believe Paul's assertion that all scripture is God's inspired word (2 Timothy 3:16), then we hold the answer to Pilate's question in our hands.
I've gotta say it seems simple to me. Maybe that's because I spent years and years pursuing alternative truths. That's the philosophical equivalent of running down a series of blind alleys. In the dark.
Are you a Christian? What are you going to believe? The biblical signposts seem clear:
"To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. (Isaiah 8:20)"
Thursday, March 22, 2012
John Nash Loses It and Why
Short answer. God's will.
Not like you're thinking, though there is that.
I was thinking more of string theory. Not that John Nash was involved with that (he wasn't, was he?) But could a person not get lost in the numbers when that's all you see. As the underlying basis of everything, I mean.
Like that episode of The Simpsons where Homer goes 3D. Or Tron.
As I understand it, string theorists suppose that everything in the universe is held together by these tee-iny little wiggly elastic strings. That you can't even see. See Acts 17:28, Job 12:10, etc. for more on that (God's will, in case you don't have your Bible nearby).
John Nash's deal was probability theory (I think). Kinda the same thing in a way. He went crazy. Waddya think the chances of that woulda been, John?
Me? I just prefer faith.
That God will continue to hold things together. That He will continue to hold the future in His hand.
It's what I've been given and life is simpler that way. Right?
Or am I just crazy?
Not like you're thinking, though there is that.
I was thinking more of string theory. Not that John Nash was involved with that (he wasn't, was he?) But could a person not get lost in the numbers when that's all you see. As the underlying basis of everything, I mean.
Like that episode of The Simpsons where Homer goes 3D. Or Tron.
As I understand it, string theorists suppose that everything in the universe is held together by these tee-iny little wiggly elastic strings. That you can't even see. See Acts 17:28, Job 12:10, etc. for more on that (God's will, in case you don't have your Bible nearby).
John Nash's deal was probability theory (I think). Kinda the same thing in a way. He went crazy. Waddya think the chances of that woulda been, John?
Me? I just prefer faith.
That God will continue to hold things together. That He will continue to hold the future in His hand.
It's what I've been given and life is simpler that way. Right?
Or am I just crazy?
Thursday, March 8, 2012
In a Dry and Thirsty Land, Where no Water Is
I have several Christian friends who hate their jobs.
I can relate.
I have prayed many a prayer to be delivered from what I felt was an
awful situation. Funniest personal prayer: I prayed Psalm 91:3 for a
year to be delivered from working at Tyson's!
It can be and IS oppressive, I know, and not so funny. I think part of this discomfort may be explained by Revelation 18:3. The world system, as typified by Babylon in scripture, is a place of idols . Power, money and control are the things sought after and worshipped.
As David sought the presence of God in a dry and thirsty land, so our souls cry out for deliverance from a place where Mammon is god.
But Brother Lawrence taught me something about God's presence. There, in the kitchen, with the dirty pots and pans, he began to understand that God is everywhere, where there is a believing heart.
Paul showed me that even in the Roman dungeon, there are people who need me. Or rather what God has so graciously given me: the joy of His salvation.
So it seems to me I have been given a job; not just to earn money for my bread (though God did mention that to Adam). But to shine the light I have been given in a place where the idols of Babylon are worshipped.
In the meantime, I look forward to the time when I shall hear, when WE shall hear, the words: "Come out of her, my people...."
I can relate.
I have prayed many a prayer to be delivered from what I felt was an
awful situation. Funniest personal prayer: I prayed Psalm 91:3 for a
year to be delivered from working at Tyson's!
It can be and IS oppressive, I know, and not so funny. I think part of this discomfort may be explained by Revelation 18:3. The world system, as typified by Babylon in scripture, is a place of idols . Power, money and control are the things sought after and worshipped.
As David sought the presence of God in a dry and thirsty land, so our souls cry out for deliverance from a place where Mammon is god.
But Brother Lawrence taught me something about God's presence. There, in the kitchen, with the dirty pots and pans, he began to understand that God is everywhere, where there is a believing heart.
Paul showed me that even in the Roman dungeon, there are people who need me. Or rather what God has so graciously given me: the joy of His salvation.
So it seems to me I have been given a job; not just to earn money for my bread (though God did mention that to Adam). But to shine the light I have been given in a place where the idols of Babylon are worshipped.
In the meantime, I look forward to the time when I shall hear, when WE shall hear, the words: "Come out of her, my people...."
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
I Am My Beloved's, My Beloved is Mine
Intimacy is something we all seek. That experience of knowing and being known. This may sound outdated; but to belong to someone.
It is easy to agree with the above statement, but maybe very hard to understand it, in all the fullness of its meaning. There's implications.
Take for instance, the notion of the Church as the bride of Christ. For a guy like me, this seemed a little bit odd. Jesus as my bridegroom. Hmmm.
I mean, I was the seeker, the initiator. Problem is, I stopped with physical intimacy. So I rode the merry-go-round. With each new love would come the initial euphoria of discovery.
But always, at some point, the newness wore off and I would begin to take note of the flaws (never mind my own), to be annoyed by them, and finally to resent the person so marred by them.
Seek and you shall find, it is said. Sometimes, the best things seek us out. God is all-wise and He knows what is best for us even when we don't.
So He sought me out. I did not want Him. He wanted me though.
I once told a friend that I was fond of my wife, but I didn't love her. That, as it turns out was a lie, told to provoke his reaction.
Here's the thing I've found about marriage. God made it and gave it to men and women. To fill the earth, to provide the basic unit of human society. But it's something better than that.
In heaven, we will know as we are known. Perfect knowledge. Perfect intimacy. So I think that marriage is God's gift to us. Our foretaste of heaven.
Jesus loves me with a perfect, self-sacrificing love. We cannot love that perfectly (not yet). But the intent of the heart, to love another person more than you love yourself, to give all you have for their happiness. And to be loved that way in return.
Meanwhile, I take joy in the love of another and loving her in return. I look forward to the day when that love will be perfected in Christ.
Happy Valentine's Day
It is easy to agree with the above statement, but maybe very hard to understand it, in all the fullness of its meaning. There's implications.
Take for instance, the notion of the Church as the bride of Christ. For a guy like me, this seemed a little bit odd. Jesus as my bridegroom. Hmmm.
I mean, I was the seeker, the initiator. Problem is, I stopped with physical intimacy. So I rode the merry-go-round. With each new love would come the initial euphoria of discovery.
But always, at some point, the newness wore off and I would begin to take note of the flaws (never mind my own), to be annoyed by them, and finally to resent the person so marred by them.
Seek and you shall find, it is said. Sometimes, the best things seek us out. God is all-wise and He knows what is best for us even when we don't.
So He sought me out. I did not want Him. He wanted me though.
I once told a friend that I was fond of my wife, but I didn't love her. That, as it turns out was a lie, told to provoke his reaction.
Here's the thing I've found about marriage. God made it and gave it to men and women. To fill the earth, to provide the basic unit of human society. But it's something better than that.
In heaven, we will know as we are known. Perfect knowledge. Perfect intimacy. So I think that marriage is God's gift to us. Our foretaste of heaven.
Jesus loves me with a perfect, self-sacrificing love. We cannot love that perfectly (not yet). But the intent of the heart, to love another person more than you love yourself, to give all you have for their happiness. And to be loved that way in return.
Meanwhile, I take joy in the love of another and loving her in return. I look forward to the day when that love will be perfected in Christ.
Happy Valentine's Day
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
