Endure for Joy

This morning, my pastor reminded us of a verse in Hebrews that really struck a chord with me, especially following the past few hectic and exhausting weeks of college.

See, in the same weekend I had two very different experiences--completely opposite of each other, in fact. On Thursday night I had to stay up all night to work on a project and was absolutely miserable. Part of the reason--and really BIG part of the reason--was that I saw no end in sight. I knew the whole weekend would likely be just like that night, and that I'd get little sleep and do lots of work. I felt that I had nothing to look forward to for a very long time, which didn't help getting through those few hours very easy.

Just days later, on Sunday night, I was facing the same predicament. Oddly enough, however, I was in a far better mood, and the night seemed shorter and more feasible than the earlier, miserable night that began the weekend. And, again, a HUGE part of my attitude was based on what I had to look forward to; I knew that once I'd turned everything in on Monday afternoon, I would be free to do whatever I liked (which by that point was to sleep without setting any alarms!). The end was in sight, and for that pleasure set before me I endured that night, which really should have been miserable just like the other had been.

In a similar (but far worse and greater!) way, Jesus did the same thing. Hebrews 12:2 says that He endured the whole ordeal on the cross "for the joy set before him." He could see the end in sight, and He deemed it worth enough to go through unjust pain, shame, and humiliation just to attain that end: that He might rejoin God the Father in heaven and enable mankind to join them instead of being doomed to spend eternity (the longest time) in torment.

My pain was nothing to His, and my reward seems so shallow; but, in a small way, I now understand what it means to endure just for the result. My sleep that night was marvelous.

How I Waste Time

As I struggle to prioritize "my life" at the moment, I'm torn between doing the things that will get me through school and the things that really matter, like considering God and taking time to pray and even just taking time to think (because yes, we Christians really ought to think sometimes) about the issues I'm facing, decisions to make--and priorities I should have.

Should I begin working on a reading assignment, or should I put it off until Thanksgiving break? I'd really like to get at least half of it done so that I can finally sell the book back and have money to live off of--but, really, I should be creating lesson plans because they're due on Tuesday, before Thanksgiving--but I really don't think they'll take that long to do, though they'll probably take longer than I have time for right now. And when on earth should I clean my room, because it's been a couple of weeks...but, gosh, I'm so distracted by questions like "what is it like to really be proud of your country?" and "aren't Christians supposed to care more about God than their country?" and "where will I be teaching next year?" and "couldn't I be using this musing time for more constructive things?".

So, by the time all of this has happened, I could have at least vacuumed the floor--and I lose even more time considering everything I could have done with the time I just wasted, then try to decide what to do again and the cycle continues until it's time to head off to my next real appointment, and I've gotten nothing done.

Maybe I need to re-read The Purpose-Driven Life--in those spare moments.

The Bum Thumb

Recently, I injured my thumb to such an extent that it was rendered essentially useless for over a week. (Don't worry; the injury is in no way permanent, though the scar may prove quite lasting, and besides the initial injury I have felt no pain.)

Honestly, you never realize how much you use your thumbs until one of them is incapacitated. Showers took twice as long, washing dishes became a chore, even fastening buttons became a complicated maneuver--and my handwriting suffered probably more than I did.

So, I now have a much better understanding of the passage in 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul explains how the church is like a body--the very body of Christ, in fact. In order for a body to function most effectively, each part should be in tip-top shape. If one part is rendered useless, the other functions of the body also suffer, having to do jobs for which they are not designed in order to pick up that part's slack. I can function without using that thumb--but everything takes longer and, in the case of my handwriting, doesn't turn out quite like it should.

Please don't be the bum thumb in your body, wherever you are. Take steps to discover your area of usefulness--and then use it! Bum thumbs are no fun.

An Interactive Post

Today's post is going to be what we education-types call "interactive." In this particular case, it means that I'm going to post a short passage (from nothing else but the book Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne, no less!) followed by a guiding question, and anyone who cares to respond may do so in whatever way he/she thinks fits.

"'Eeyore,' said Owl, 'Christopher Robin is giving a party.'

"'Very interesting,' said Eeyore. 'I suppose they will be sending me down the odd bits which got trodden on. Kind and Thoughtful. Not at all, don't mention it.'

"'There is an Invitation for you.'

"'What's that like?'

"'An Invitation!'

"'Yes, I heard you. Who dropped it?'

"'This isn't anything to eat, it's asking you to the party. Tomorrow.'

"Eeyore shook his head slowly.

"'You mean Piglet. The little fellow with the excited ears. That's Piglet. I'll tell him.'

"'No, no!' said Owl, getting quite fussy. 'It's you!'

"'Are you sure?'

"'Of course I'm sure. Christopher Robin said "All of them! Tell all of them."'

"'All of them, except Eeyore?'

"'All of them,' said Owl sulkily.

"'Ah!' said Eeyore. 'A mistake, no doubt, but still, I shall come. Only don't blame me if it rains.'" (152-53)

(Milne, A. A. Winnie the Pooh. New York: Puffin Books, 1992.)

So, based on this passage, I would ask:

1. Does this remind you of anything, to start with?

2. Have you ever felt like Eeyore did here? (Explain, if you wish)

3. Have you ever met anyone who behaved like Eeyore? (Elaborate, if you want)

4. Have you ever responded like Owl to someone like Eeyore? (Tell us how, if you're comfortable)

5. (And this one's really deep:) Do you suppose there are people who respond to salvation in the same way that Eeyore responds to the idea of an invitation specifically for him? How should we respond to such people's incredulous questions? What do we do if they don't believe us, in the end?

Just for your consideration. Respond to as many or as few as you wish.

Be seeing you!

Calling All Creatives...

It's been too long, I know. College really gets in the way of life sometimes.

But I have a very special announcement to make:

REVIVE IS ON THE MOVE!

And we want you to be a part.

There are several ways this may happen, of course, but my personal favorite is via the Creative Media Team. Probably because that's my area of "expertise." But, see, I'm no expert, by any means, which is why I'm excited to invite you to apply to be a part of the team.

Applications for this (and several other positions) can be found on our website, www.revivethecity.org, under the "applications" tab. I look forward to hearing from you!

Blocked

So, funny story: Recently, I inadvertently infected my computer with a virus (or two, I'm still not sure). It was what we call a Trojan because, like the Trojan's horse of ancient fame, it arrived posing as a good thing. In this case, it claimed that it was an antivirus-scanning software that had detected several viruses on my computer and wanted to run a scan to see if there were more. I'd encountered it once before and thought, at that earlier encounter, that it was fishy, so I had the sense to ignore it. This time, however, I was genuinely concerned, so I clicked and let it scan.

Mistake.

Because, after it scanned, of course it had found a ton of stuff, and the next step was, logically, to buy its software to safely remove all those dreadful viruses and safe my helpless computer from a certain death. As if I have money right now to spend on computer protection! So I ignored this warning and tried to go about my merry way. My first order of business was, of course, the Internet, which is pretty much where all of my business is these days. But, lo and behold! when I try to go to Facebook, I get a big red screen that reads "This site may cause harm to your computer," and it gave me two options: to proceed unprotected or the buy this antivirus software. I click "proceed unprotected." Fail. And I get to another red screen that reads "This site may cause harm to you computer."

This went on all weekend. After about two days, I realized that my computer needed help, or I was going to kill it faster than the virus would. Fortunately, I have friends who know what to do, and they gave me a few Internet links to try--links to recommended, safe, REAL antivirus software that will clean up my act. Only, guess what? When I tried to enter these URLs, I got this big red screen that read "This site may cause harm to your computer."

See, this malicious adware was trying to block me not only from everything, but from the very things that might have fixed my problem. Of course they would want to do that!

But this is not just a scheme employed by computer viruses; our enemy, Satan, uses the same tactics. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that he invented the art. So, beware of his malicious adware, because it's tricky and may even pose as a good thing. (Those are the really scary ones!) As for breaking free from the "website block"--I'll get back to you on that, and I hope you don't think any worse of my for leaving you without any answers. But I don't want to throw answers at you on this, because it's serious. So, I'll leave you to mull over the potential viruses in your lives, because identification is the first step to correction.

From Complacency to Change

It's been a while, I know...and, when it hasn't been a while, posts have been sporadic, at best. Which is one indication of my summer growth, I'm afraid.



See, sometimes in the summers I grow complacent. I mean, it's not like I'm on campus surrounded by other people who are just as crazy as I am--indeed, some are even crazier, believe it or not. In the summertime, I'm at home where it's comfortable and where I've known everyone for pretty much my entire life. There's not much challenge to living at home, and I therefore forget that there should be a challenge at all.



But, if we're not challenged, then we're not changed. Shoot, we're not even motivated to change. And our lives are all the time in need of changing! If you don't need changing, then you're perfect and you're delusional. Congratulations. For the rest of us, if something in our lives doesn't change every so often, we become way too comfortable with where we are, and the desire to change wears off. If it's not broke, don't fix it, right? That's when we get stuck in a dangerous place called complacency. It's something like the walking dead, because you're missing out on so much that God wants to do in your life but you don't even realize it. You're missing the parade as it passes by because you didn't change what needed changing based on a challenge in or on your life.



Perhaps you find yourself in this complacent state; you don't see a need for change, because your life, though dull and/or meaningless, is at least easy. I reckon the best cure for such a disease is to find a challenge. Now, don't rush off just yet, and let me clarify: for real change, not just any challenge will do. I suggest that you search through the Bible for the sorts of challenges that will bring extended, if not lasting, results. It is rich with challenges for the Christian life. Again, I want to plug Dietrich Bonhoeffer's The Cost of Discipleship, because it, besides the Bible, is the most challenging book I have read--because of the Bible. The same man wrote another book which concerns the Christian community called Life Together. Also, a Brit named J. I. Packer has written a book called Knowing God which deals with God's nature and our relationship to Him; and, finally, a smart man named C. S. Lewis wrote several books about Christianity. I've read Mere Christianity and Surprised by Joy and found both to be thought-provoking and, yes, challenging. Finally, Pastor Steven Furtick has written about change and challenge a great deal on his blog, which is always a good read. I mention all of these authors and titles, in fact, because, for one, they use the Scriptures as their basis for arguement and explanation; and, secondly, I have been challenged by them at some point or another--again, simply because of the Bible. I offer them to you as suggestions for a starting point in your journey from complacency to changed life.