The Dirty Life

This week in our series Beautiful Disaster we are talking about sin and its effects on us as believers. In light of this, I would encourage you to take a look at John Wesley's take in his sermon titled On Sin in Believers. Wesley's sticky statement or big idea that continued throughout his ministry was that "while sin remains, it does not reign." That's essentially the nuts and bolts of this sermon but you should check it out for yourself.

Tower Coffee Update!

Some of you have been wondering how things are looking. We'll we're getting there slowly but surely. I've included here a couple of pictures of the Coffee Bar as it stands. The laminate is here and ready to go and should be on very soon.

Here's a picture of the counter that you would
see as you walk in.






Here's a view of the coffebar from the middle of the floor. The back window will soon be covered as well. Soon, a Tower like shape will take form in the middle that will create a coffee bar completely unique in design.



I'll publish more pictures in the days ahead to keep everyone posted.

My Birthday

Today, somebody told me it was my birthday. I guess they were right but when you're in your thirties, birthdays don't have the same pizazz that they once did. I remember the days when birthdays were magical - when I couldn't stand to have to wait until after school to open my presents. But then, and slowly, the presents quit coming. Nevertheless, we don't quit getting older. In fact, the years seem to come quicker. I'm sorry for sounding a little melancholy but I am thirty-seven after all.

Enough said, today was a great day! I was busy though. Here's what I did:

I spent the morning meeting with a couple who are hoping to get married in the Spring. This was my first time meeting them and we had a really good conversation.

I had a chance to serve at God's Kitchen -something we at The Voyage Church get to do once a month. By the way, if you've never served here before, you won't be disappointed.

I got a chance to throw the football around with my two boys, Mitch and Josh. Joy wanted to play as well so she threw a few to me too. Not a bad arm, I must say and pretty fast too.

I helped set up for tomorrows worship service. We're in the midst of transition so I wanted to make sure I had everything ready to go so that Sunday morning could be as stress free as possible.

We ended with a pickup game of basketball. Now I'm really tired...

Still, a great birthday! And did I mention that I had my favorite meal for dinner. Yes, you guessed it - Pizza.

Tower Coffee Update

Things are coming along as we get ready for the launch of Tower Coffee and The Voyage Church later this Fall at our Wilson Ave. Campus. Recently I met with the Health Department and discovered a few interesting tidbits that I was hoping to stay away from. We will have to be inspected twice annually and will have to be inspected prior to opening. I don't think this will delay things any but I've got a ream of paperwork to fill out in the days ahead.

The Coffee Bar is just about finished. It's BIG and will prove to be expandable as we delve further and further into the coffee business. After this, the tile floor will be done next followed by the windows and the wood flooring. The carpet in the stage area will be done last. The painting will be done some time in the midst of all that.

Last week, Jody and John Bacinski accompanied Cara and myself to Chicago to visit a coffeehouse church in the Roger's Park area. The church and coffeehouse is run by John and Ruth Hoekwater who are from the Grand Rapids area. John was the pastor of West Leonard Christian Reformed Church some time ago. Just over a year ago, they realized their dream of offering Coffee and Christ as they opened up The Common Cup coffeehouse. It was a great visit and we learned lots.

That's all for now!

Until next time...

The Messy Life

Sometimes it seems like the ordered and mess free life is what it's all about. Let's face it; many of us wouldn't mind it if our lives were free from the mundane and free from the messes that we often find ourselves in. Still, while I believe this was God's original intent, life after the apple has no such guarantees. In fact, the only guarantee is that our lives will be filled with chaotic and disordered moments. There's really no getting around it. Nevertheless, I'm confident that it's in the mess of our lives that God's grace and power is no more evident. Somehow and in someway, God uses these tough times to strengthen us, to shape our character in ways that the 'good times' of life would never do. It's in those moments when our ability to persist is tested that our character is largely shaped. Somehow, through the grace and power of God, our lives keep going and going despite the disorder. So, when life gets crazy and chaos ensues, know that God is using those times to mold and shape us in new and often remarkable ways. Trust me, you will never be the same again...

Worship on the Waterfront

Last night, Cara and I (along with our daughter Joy) had a chance to enjoy one of our favorite artists - Geoff Moore. While I probably enjoy his more edgier stuff when it was Geoff Moore and his band the Distance, his solo effort has much to be commended for. With just a guitarist and himself, Moore offered a variety of songs - old and new - mixing this in with stories and their relationship to each of the songs. He also incorporated the audience on a few of the songs as well as on two or three of the more popular worship songs where he asked us to sing along.

Moore has a wonderful sense of humor and coupled with a strong voice that sounds just like the recording (not all artists can say this when they peform live), it was a great time of worship and simply listening to the songs I've grown to love over the years. On top of this, the weather in Grand Haven was nearly perfect - even on the cool side for a Michigan July. If you've never heard Geoff Moore live, go see him. If you've never heard his music before, you won't be disappointed. You can check it out at the following site; Geoff Moore.com

Simplicity

I like simple. I like things that I can figure out in virtually no time at all. Let me explain what I mean. Even though I'm in my thirties, and arguably part of a tech savy generation, I'm not all that up to speed on the latest and greatest of gadgets these days. For instance, I can barely use my phone. It has hundreds of things it supposedly does but all I use it for (and all I'm interested in using it for) is as a phone. Yes, I want my phone to act as a phone and that's it!

And I think this idea of simplicity is at the heart of what has made both Apple and Google so successful. A music player (Ipod) that I (the non-savy tech person) can actually figure out. Likewise, Google has made a name for itself based on offering simple and easy to use tools. Just the other day I was trying to create a survey for some church-related matters and I looked into a couple of programs that allow this sort of thing. While I didn't spend forever on it, I couldn't figure out either of them. I quickly googled google (yes, you can do that) to find out if they had any such service only to find out they did! I wasn't holding out much hope, though, but I was pleasantly surprised that in Google Documents they offer a nice little feature that allows you to survey and receive feedback on a spreadsheet. Even better, I was able to figure this out in no time at all. Simple. I like simple and I'm almost certain that we've made things way too complicated sometimes for our own good.

As I think about the church, it's mission and focus, I wonder if we couldn't learn a little something about simplicity (See Thomas Rainer's book Simple Church). Have we made things so tough and so complicated that people are left scratching their heads?

The Rapture of Matthew 24

Now we come to probably the most famous text thought to loudly proclaim this idea of the rapture- Matthew 24:36-43. Has the one "taken" been raptured and the other one "left" been left behind? Upon closer inspection and with a correct historical reading of this text, my belief is otherwise. In 24:37, Matthew states that as it was in Noah's days, so it will be when the Son of Man returns. So, what happened in Noah's days? The ones who were taken were swept away by God's judgment in the great flood. These were the wicked. The ones "left behind" were left behind floating on top of the water, free from judgment. These were the righteous.

So, being taken in Matthew, and in this context, is to be taken for judgment. It has absolutely nothing to do with a pretribulation rapture. In fact, as Ben Witherington puts it: "the ones who are left behind after judgment comes are fortunate and are wiping their brows" out of relief.

My hope is that this helps by convincing and convicting you that there is no rapture nor is there a need to be rapture ready. One of the gravest and potentially harmful errors of this theology is that there is the potential of a second chance. This second chance theology gives one the impression that upon being left behind, one still has a chance to get things right before the final and ultimate second coming of Christ. Unfortunately, for those of us living our lives in a hedonistic sort of way and banking on such a "second chance," I'm sad to say that such a time will never come.

I'll talk more about this second coming in the days ahead, but for now, know that you can't start living the life God wants you to live soon enough.

Rapture Revealed

Interestingly, just got in the mail a couple of days ago a little pamphlet about the rapture and how such a theology is riddled with errors. Anyway, I'll pick up where I left off the other day and explain to you where the notion of the rapture came from.

The notion of the rapture didn't exist in Christian history before roughly 1820 when a teenage girl in Glasgow, Scotland apparently had a vision that described a rapture of sorts. A minister upon hearing this story, none other than John Darby, took the girl seriously and then subsequently developed his rapture theology that has become the basis for the dispensationalism so well known today.

In one particular text in Revelation that is often thought to refer to the rapture, a closer look and recognition of what kind of literature one is reading reveals something else. Rev. 4:1-2 says: "After this I looked and a door was open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said: 'Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this,' And at once I was in the Spirit and there before me was a throne." What John of Patmos is describing here is not his personal trip to heaven but instead an apocalyptic vision. Remember, the book of Revelation is apocalyptic in nature and must be read through such a lens. The language used here is typical of all apocalyptic literature. John doesn't really make a trip into the heavens but remains on Patmos where in the Spirit he has a visionary experience where he sees some pretty interesting things.

Tomorrow, we take this a step further and look at my personal favorite rapture text, Matthew 24:36-43, which speaks of two standing in a field with one taken and the other left.

Stay tuned...

Are You Rapture Ready (Part 2)

Let's look at some specifics regarding what I posted yesterday. First off, this book was written for first-century Christians in Asia Minor first and foremost. They were the audience and therefore, when we interpet the book of Revelation, we need to know that whatever the text could not have possibly meant for them back then and there, it cannot possibly mean now. For example, as Ben Witherington points out, if no first-century Christian could have understood a coded reference to a particular late Western bad guy named Osama bin Laden in the reference to Mr. 666, then neither should we. What it meant then, to the original audience in the first century, it still means today. While it's meaning hasn't changed, the application of the meaning may change. I like what Witherington says here, so I'll quote him in full:

"To suggest that the original audiences of this document who lived in that culture, spoke Greek, and read apocalyptic prophecy, couldn't possibly have made sense of this material, but modern persons with no historical, linguistic, or rhetorical training or knowledge can, is the height of arrogance."

I'll end this post with one final point that I'll elaborate on further tomorrow. What the book of Revelation does not say anything about is a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the faithful. In fact, the message the book of Revelation conveys to its audience is to prepare to suffer, even to the point of death. This is a far cry from the escape clause that serves as the backbone of any rapture theology and should further remind us that maybe we should leave behind any notion of being left behind.

As a side note, the book of Revelation was so puzzling to both Calvin and Wesley that they regarded it as too complex to write a whole lot about it and still writers in our time think they've uncovered some code or key that unlocks the ancient mystery that is the Book of Revelation.

This is taking longer to explain than I first thought but I'd rather keep the posts short. Until tomorrow...

Are You Rapture Ready?

Admittedly, early in my walk as a Christian I was in the process of readying myself for the eschatological (end times) phenomena known as the rapture. I was reading the Left Behind books and studying everything else that Timothy Lahaye and Jack Van Impe had to offer on the subject. Somewhere along the line, though, I began to wise up and see that any theology of the rapture is largely a gross misinterpretation of the biblical texts used to support such a view.

One of the keys to gaining an overall understanding of the Bible is to know what kind of literature you are reading. The bible is made up of several kinds of literature and written to a multitude of different audiences. In addition to the ancient biographies (Matt, Mark and John) and the ancient historical monographs (luke-Acts), we have several letters and sermons that look like letters in the New Testament. Lastly, we have exactly one book of prophecy in the New Testament - the book of Revelation. As Ben Witherington points out, this is no "ordinary, garden variety prophecy like we find in Amos or Micah or Obadiah. Rather, it is apocalyptic prophecy that can be traced back to Zechariah, Daniel and Ezekial-visionary prophecy by its very nature." As such, this book requires a special sort of reading to get at the heart of its true meaning and the message it hopes to convey.

I'll say more about this in my next post, pointing out the various errors that have been made and continue to be made to support the notion of the rapture.

Contradictions in the Bible

Sometimes it can be confusing and rather hard to understand why there are apparent (not real) contradictions in the Bible. In Ben Witherington's recent book he comments on one of these that I thought might be of help.

In the parallel accounts of 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Chronicles, there are some apparent problems. For instance, what did Nathan actually say to David? What 2 Samuel reports or what 2 Chronicles reports? A little of both? Neither? At this point, Witherington points out that the principle of subsequence is pretty important as one tries to historically account for the diversity of these two accounts. In his words:

"First and second Samuel was written long before 1-2 Chronicles, and the latter text
presupposes that the former is in play and widely known, which is precisely what allows the
Chronicler to take some liberties in order to make his own theological and ethical points. He
assumes a preexisting fixed text."

It's good to keep some of these things in mind as we read through the entirety of the Bible.

The Living Word of God

Just started reading Ben Witherington's book The Living Word of God: Rethinking the Theology of the Bible. Ben is a former professor of mine at Asbury that I am grateful to have studied under for nearly 4 years. He's a great theologian and historian as well as a very giving person. I wanted to comment on what I've read so far that I thought might be helpful for you the reader when it comes to reading the Bible.

First, we have to remember that the world of the New Testament was primarily an oral culture. In fact, the literacy rate back then was never higher than 20 percent. During the time when the New Testament would have been written (first century), if one could read, this was usually a sign of someone being of a higher social standing and because of this, with more education. Moreover, those who could read were largely males, not females, which is not a surprise in a male dominated culture.

Secondly, it's helpful to remember that the Old Testament was the Bible of the earliest Christians as the New Testament was not yet written, collected, and then canonized. Even then, the OT canon (the books that eventually made up the OT that we have in our Bibles today), was not completely settled much before the final years of the first century. Because of this, a distinction needs to be made between the "Bible" as one form that God's word took (written form) and the "Word of God" which is a much broader category that includes both written and oral words; but also an Incarnate person of Jesus identified in John 1 as the Word. Nevertheless, the source is God who, in the words of Dr. Ben, "inspires, speaks, and empowers the words with qualities that reflect the divine character."

I found this a healthy reminder as I read God's written word (the Bible) and I hope you might find a nugget or two that might be of help. I'll be commenting on this book more in the days ahead so stay tuned...

The National Day of Prayer

I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of "national" anythings. Yes, I know today (May 1st) is the National Day of Prayer. Yes, I think we need to pray for our country. And yes, I know that as a Pastor, some would say that I need to make a bigger deal out of such a day. But, I don't and here comes the reason why. In my opinion, to make a day out to be the "national" day of prayer is to say that the other 364 days are not days of prayer.

I'm reminded of how church attendance throughout the nation soared after the attacks on 9/11 as everyone was visibly shaken after witnessing such horrific death and destruction - and for good reason. However, sadly after only a few weeks, attendance at church was back to normal as we find better ways to spend our time. How quickly our lives return to normal and how quickly time heals even the worst that life can bring to us.

In a similar way, I think this is what happens when we make prayer a priority once a year. After the day is over, prayer so easily gets shoved aside and replaced with better ways to spend our time. As if prayer should only be a priority and is only needed once a year.

Now if the National Day of Prayer helps you to focus in on prayer unlike the other days of the year, then I would say "good for you." Keep at it! However, to make prayer a priority once out of the entire year is, in my view, an overall a bad idea. We are called to pray continuously without stopping. Brother Lawrence, a monk during the middle ages, showed us how to pray and be in God's presence even during the most mundane of tasks. In his timeless classic, The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence shows us how we can prayer while doing the everyday sort of stuff - like doing the dishes or doing our jobs.

I'm all for praying - just not once a year. If it would help, maybe we should have a National Year of Prayer instead. Now that I'm all for!

When the Going Gets Tough

2 Timothy, a letter from the apostle Paul, begins in the usual and customary Pauline manner. The greeting, followed by a thanksgiving. But then things get more pointed and we see what’s truly on Paul’s mind. As in the case of the other letters from a jail cell, Paul is in chains and his message has been hampered to some degree. Nevertheless, what he offers is his usual encouraging tone regardless of his circumstances.

It seems that Timothy has been discouraged of late and needs some reassurance that what he’s doing is of extreme importance. Paul reminds Timothy that he needs to use the God-given gift he’s been given as “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline.” (1:7)

Strikingly, Paul states that “everyone” in the province of Asia has left or deserted him (see verse 15). Apparently, when the going gets tough, some people walk away and chose an easier and more preferential path. This was arguably the case here. Paul was forced into a prison cell, under house arrest for the message he was proclaiming. Such imprisonment was not a popular thing, as you might imagine.

And the thing is, we’re not talking about just anybody here! We’re talking about the apostle Paul – perhaps the greatest missionary that’s ever lived. And still, everyone in Asia has apparently given up on him as well as the Gospel. Incredibly sad to say the least.

I wonder how this plays out in ministry today. Sometimes, when things get a little tough, testy, and difficult, it’s easier to walk away and find something else. In the world of sports, we call these fair-weather fans. Those fans that are quick to jump on whatever bandwagon that’s out there as they follow the best baseball, football or whatever team it is at that time. However, when that teams finds itself in decline, they quickly hop off and join the fan club of another team instead.

When people leave you or forsake your mission because things may not be looking so bright, don’t lose heart. God has a plan and will bring it to fruition with or without those individuals who left. If God’s in on things, know that in his timing His will will be done!

Romney's Pretty Funny

At Wednesday night’s Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C., former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave his “Top 10 Reasons for Dropping Out of the Race." Pretty funny stuff. Here goes:

10. There weren't as many Osmonds as I thought.
9. I got tired of corkscrew landings under sniper fire.
8. As a lifelong hunter, I didn't want to miss the start of the varmint season.
7. There wasn’t room for two Christian leaders.
6. I was upset that no one had bothered to search my passport files.
5. I needed an excuse to get fat, grow a beard and win the Nobel prize.
4. I took a bad fall at a campaign rally and broke my hair.
3. I wanted to finally take off that dark suit and tie, and kick back in a light-colored suit and tie.
2. Once my wife Ann realized I couldn't win, my fundraising dried up.
1. There was a miscalculation in our theory: "As Utah goes, so goes the nation.”

Safety First

Just yesterday we're driving down the street on our way to do some family bowling along with some other families from the church when something struck our attention. A guy (we'll leave it at that) was riding his bike. Not all that strange and who could blame him with gas prices where they are. However, what this guy on the bike was wearing was what struck us next. He had this jacket on with reflectors on them. Again, not so strange except that it was still light out. Maybe he was planning on being out for awhile - who knows. Next, he was wearing a helmet. "Okay," you might be saying, "so what?" What we saw next was the strangest sight of all.

As we we're stopped at a red light, he too was stopped to do what-of all things? To light up a cigarette. Seems ironic to me that a guy who's out for a healthy ride to get some exercise, who's concerned about getting hit so he wears both a reflector jacket as well as a bike helmet. But he's smoking a cigarette that we know kills thousands and probably millions of people every year! While he might think he's practicing "safety first," I'm not so sure?

The Main Thing

One pastor runs the "cowboy church" in Texas and dresses the part - cowboy hat and big belt and all. Another pastor in Texas wears a suit and tie in a renovated sports stadium even though it seems to me that a jogging suit might be more appropriate. Regardless, how one dresses for church, and how the leader of that church dresses, undoubtedly defines who that church will be and become. If the pastor is more casual in nature, then a casual attire will more than likely become the predominate clothing in that environment. Likewise, if the pastor raises the bar and dresses in the finest of clothes, his or her congregation is going to attempt to match.

Interestingly, each of the two above pastors and their churches are trying to reach two different people groups. The "cowboy church" is trying to reach out to cowboys and the other church is trying to reach out to a different group of well-dressed individuals. Either way, neither one of them is wrong in their approach. Both are doing what God has led them to do and are leading the charge to share the Good News in each environment. Still, for some, there's only one way and one way only of "doing church." As if the creative genius that God is, only prescribed one mode or one way of worshiping him in the corporate environment that takes place for most on Sunday mornings in a "traditional" church building. Wouldn't such expressions of Christianity be boring further advancing the belief by outsiders that church isn't for me?

Simply put, for the unchurched and dechurched, our worship times better offer them something that matches who they are. When we lift up one expression of worship over another as the only way, we're saying in effect that what they are, as often shown in how they dress, is wrong and needs to be changed in order for you to worship in this place and at this time. No wonder that worship and church attendance in America is in a rut. When we lose sight of the main thing - the imitation of Christ - we get caught up in petty arguments over issues that make no difference to God. A focus on Christ, and living out our life as modeled for us by Christ, is the main thing and needs to become more of the main thing in our lives. When it's not, the shinning light on the hill becomes a dull glimmer that's fading fast.

The Mist - A Truly Scary Story

While I've always been a big fan of the horror movie, I rarely find one that is as intense and scary as the recently released movie - The Mist. Most horror stories , and even more so, their usually bad film adaptations, are stupid and usually make for a good laugh. I read The Mist ( a novella penned by none other then the master of horror himself- Stephen King) when I was in college. It was a scary story then and the film adaptation is no less frightening and even more disturbing in the end. Please note: my writing about this movie in no way condones the watching of this movie. Not only is this movie filled with filthy language that I could do without, it is also filled with some rather graphic, grisly, and gory details that I won't comment on. While it doesn't bother me (since it's all fictionally fake), I know many would be disturbed by some of these scenes. This movie is definitely rated R and would not make a good family movie to say the least.

Nevertheless, the movie is well done and the acting is equally up to par. If you've seen this movie, I'd be curious what your thoughts are. There's definitely some interesting theology within.

Connecting with God

Today, as I'm reading the familiar words of David as found in Psalm 23, I can't help but see his deep connection with God. At this point in his life, David was undoubtedly connected with God in a way that all of us should strive for. The peaceful serenity that comes out of this Psalm is amazing. David sees the Lord as his "shepherd"- one that guides and directs us in the way we should go. Even more remarkable is the fact that while David pens this great Psalm, he's in the middle of something bad. In verse 4 he tells us that while times are tough (he's walking through the valley of the shadow of death) he's not willing to be belittled and bewitched by fear. Why? God is with him.

How much easier would our lives be if we had such a deep connection with God? For those of us who know David's story and have read some of the other Psalms, we know that this wasn't always the case. For example, read Psalm 22, where David feels somewhat or even largely forgotten by God. Nonetheless, my guess is that when David was living in close connection with God, even the most harrowing of circumstances wouldn't have brought him down. Instead, the Good Shepherd would have led him through it. If you're feeling a little bit down and dragged by the drudgery of life, perhaps it's time to begin connecting with God in some new and perhaps some old ways. It wouldn't hurt to spend a few minutes in prayer this very moment, would it? Think on these things...