For the past few years, I have set aside time during the season of Lent for reading the Songs of Ascents. The Songs of Ascents are found in Psalm 120-134. Usually, I read one a day, and then read through all of them again the day before Easter and tack on Psalm 135 as an explosion of praise for God on Easter morning! During Old Testament times, three times a year, God's people would take a journey from their hometowns for different religious festivals in Jerusalem. Because Jerusalem is located on a hill, God's people would be climbing upward toward God's city. Eugene Peterson in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, describes the journey as a metaphor: "the trip to Jerusalem acted out a life lived upward toward God, an existence that advanced from one level to another in developing maturity" (18). These songs are in the genre of "The Wheels on the Bus" or "99 Bottles of Beer". But these Psalms are spiritual road trip songs.
Some of these Psalms have spoken into my real-life situation this week (more info on that later). But for now, regardless of where you are, you can always travel up. Come on up the mountain of God with Jesus this Passion week (that starts tomorrow with Palm Sunday). Journey with him to the cross and then out of the grave!
Here are some verses that have stood out to me:
"I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven." (Ps. 123:1)
"If the LORD had not been on our side [I like to fill in words from my own faith story here]." (Ps. 124:1a)
"Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Ps. 124: 8)
"Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore." (P. 125:1-2)
"Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev [a desert in Israel]. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." (Ps. 126, 4-6)
"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain." (127:1a)
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Nailing it to the Cross
"You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross." -- Colossians 2:13-14
I was dead because of sin . . . now I'm ALIVE because of him!
Tonight, our youth group made this verse and our little rhyme (the line above) a reality by writing out our sins and literally nailing them to a wooden cross. I worried all week if we could really be serious enough to handle this. However, God's Spirit was on the move!
My intent was for each youth to come up one at a time. In my control freak way, I got worried when a few came up together (I thought they might talk or take the focus off Christ). But it became a very powerful image. You literally could not drive a nail into the cross without someone holding the cross for you. This became an awesome metaphor. We can help our friends put to death their sins by holding one another accountable to the commitment we've made to God and the lifestyle he's called us to.
Another interesting thing happened. I had bought nails that were huge, and they were very hard to drive into the 4x4 posts. Every once in awhile, we had to re-nail the sheets of sins to the cross. Sometimes, we can feel like this with sins that seem to happen over and over again in our lives. We confess those sins, wanting to change, but we catch ourselves doing them again. That's true with me and my negative attitude. The thing is, though, that Christ is at work to change those things in our lives. He sees our sorrow for our sin and gives us the power to overcome sin right now if we will receive it.
The Lord worked in a powerful way tonight! Praise God!
I was dead because of sin . . . now I'm ALIVE because of him!
Tonight, our youth group made this verse and our little rhyme (the line above) a reality by writing out our sins and literally nailing them to a wooden cross. I worried all week if we could really be serious enough to handle this. However, God's Spirit was on the move!
My intent was for each youth to come up one at a time. In my control freak way, I got worried when a few came up together (I thought they might talk or take the focus off Christ). But it became a very powerful image. You literally could not drive a nail into the cross without someone holding the cross for you. This became an awesome metaphor. We can help our friends put to death their sins by holding one another accountable to the commitment we've made to God and the lifestyle he's called us to.
Another interesting thing happened. I had bought nails that were huge, and they were very hard to drive into the 4x4 posts. Every once in awhile, we had to re-nail the sheets of sins to the cross. Sometimes, we can feel like this with sins that seem to happen over and over again in our lives. We confess those sins, wanting to change, but we catch ourselves doing them again. That's true with me and my negative attitude. The thing is, though, that Christ is at work to change those things in our lives. He sees our sorrow for our sin and gives us the power to overcome sin right now if we will receive it.
The Lord worked in a powerful way tonight! Praise God!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Lenten Reflections: Entitlement
God had the last laugh yesterday. I actually wrote the original posting for this entry yesterday afternoon. But then something happened. Let me begin with the reflections I recorded first, and then I'll tell the rest of the story:
Entitlement . . . the sense of feeling like I deserve something--"I'm owed". During Lent, God has continued to show me how I feel entitled to certain things. Here's my public confession (I list these things so you can help keep me accountable and so you might begin to explore whether or not entitlement is an issue for you, as well. I hope not!):
- I expect respect from my youth group because I do a lot for them.
- I get frustrated when people don't say thank you after I've done a good deed.
- I become angry in a slow line at Wal-mart because I'm a busy person and deserve speedy service.
You get the point. I forget that everything I have is a gift from God.
God showed me an image of what he feels like when entitlement slips into our relationship with Him. We don't deserve a relationship with God, now or in eternity. BUT God sent his son, Jesus, so we can have those things. His hand is outstretched to us. Like a loving Father, he says, "Come to me, child." Here's what we do, though. We act like elementary school kids. Have you ever had your hand up for some kid to give you a high-five, and they stare you down and look at you like you're an idiot? Maybe they started to give you a high-five and then pulled their hand away, followed by the quick, attitude-infested response, "Too, slow!" We act like that; we're too good for God. "I don't need your help, God." "I'm a good person; I do good things. I deserve to go to heaven." Our Father just stands there . . . rejected . . . but his hand is still outstretched, ready to grasp ours, ready to pull us into a loving embrace. Wow (humbled sigh) . . . my only response can be a life lived in gratitude and worship to a God who loves me this much, even when I'm a punk.
The Epilogue: After writing that out yesterday and pressing publish to post this entry, my internet access went down. At first, I laughed out loud. I have become so accustomed to internet access that I feel like I deserve it. A few hours later, I called the cable company to see if it could be fixed. They told me they could send someone out Friday from 1-5 PM. Internal dialogue: "Are you serious? A whole week? I have lunch plans. Aren't I the customer here? Don't I pay the bills? You should be inconvenienced, not me!" . . . ENTITLEMENT . . . Lord, forgive me. By your grace, help me change. Change us. "We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy" (Daniel 9:18b). We don't deserve you . . . thank you!
Entitlement . . . the sense of feeling like I deserve something--"I'm owed". During Lent, God has continued to show me how I feel entitled to certain things. Here's my public confession (I list these things so you can help keep me accountable and so you might begin to explore whether or not entitlement is an issue for you, as well. I hope not!):
- I expect respect from my youth group because I do a lot for them.
- I get frustrated when people don't say thank you after I've done a good deed.
- I become angry in a slow line at Wal-mart because I'm a busy person and deserve speedy service.
You get the point. I forget that everything I have is a gift from God.
God showed me an image of what he feels like when entitlement slips into our relationship with Him. We don't deserve a relationship with God, now or in eternity. BUT God sent his son, Jesus, so we can have those things. His hand is outstretched to us. Like a loving Father, he says, "Come to me, child." Here's what we do, though. We act like elementary school kids. Have you ever had your hand up for some kid to give you a high-five, and they stare you down and look at you like you're an idiot? Maybe they started to give you a high-five and then pulled their hand away, followed by the quick, attitude-infested response, "Too, slow!" We act like that; we're too good for God. "I don't need your help, God." "I'm a good person; I do good things. I deserve to go to heaven." Our Father just stands there . . . rejected . . . but his hand is still outstretched, ready to grasp ours, ready to pull us into a loving embrace. Wow (humbled sigh) . . . my only response can be a life lived in gratitude and worship to a God who loves me this much, even when I'm a punk.
The Epilogue: After writing that out yesterday and pressing publish to post this entry, my internet access went down. At first, I laughed out loud. I have become so accustomed to internet access that I feel like I deserve it. A few hours later, I called the cable company to see if it could be fixed. They told me they could send someone out Friday from 1-5 PM. Internal dialogue: "Are you serious? A whole week? I have lunch plans. Aren't I the customer here? Don't I pay the bills? You should be inconvenienced, not me!" . . . ENTITLEMENT . . . Lord, forgive me. By your grace, help me change. Change us. "We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy" (Daniel 9:18b). We don't deserve you . . . thank you!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Polar Plunge
The fun continues on the OBX. This past Sunday, I had the youth over to my house for a cookout. The occasion? UNC v. Duke basketball, of course. Man, it's nice to be back in NC!
So, during half time, we played some Ultimate Frisbee on the vacant lots across the street. The wind was pretty fierce, and the disc flew into the canal (yes, there is a canal that runs behind the houses across the street, leading out to the sound). Of course, a rescue was in order. One of the youth decided it was his duty to jump in and get it. First words that popped into my head: liability and his mom. It took me about five minutes to convince the guy that he shouldn't jump in. Granted, he had already taken off his shirt and was ready to strip down to his boxers and get in the water. I was very proud of him for listening to me instead of his friends. For the record, it was about 50 degrees out, and the water was probably colder than that.
So, I told the youth I'd get the disc, but I needed to change. It turned into a huge event (bigger than Tyler Hansbrough's bloody face at the end of the game). Several of the youth came back with me; one girl video documented the occasion on her digital camera. I thought that it would be shallow enough that only my shorts would get wet. Oh no . . . I ended up having to jump in fully clothed. Of course, then everyone just stared at me as I tried to pull myself back up onto the dock, gasping for air, and shaking from the cold. The things we do for frisbees and teenagers!
The official Outer Banks Polar Plunge is this coming Saturday on the beach; I guess I was a tad early ;)!
So, during half time, we played some Ultimate Frisbee on the vacant lots across the street. The wind was pretty fierce, and the disc flew into the canal (yes, there is a canal that runs behind the houses across the street, leading out to the sound). Of course, a rescue was in order. One of the youth decided it was his duty to jump in and get it. First words that popped into my head: liability and his mom. It took me about five minutes to convince the guy that he shouldn't jump in. Granted, he had already taken off his shirt and was ready to strip down to his boxers and get in the water. I was very proud of him for listening to me instead of his friends. For the record, it was about 50 degrees out, and the water was probably colder than that.
So, I told the youth I'd get the disc, but I needed to change. It turned into a huge event (bigger than Tyler Hansbrough's bloody face at the end of the game). Several of the youth came back with me; one girl video documented the occasion on her digital camera. I thought that it would be shallow enough that only my shorts would get wet. Oh no . . . I ended up having to jump in fully clothed. Of course, then everyone just stared at me as I tried to pull myself back up onto the dock, gasping for air, and shaking from the cold. The things we do for frisbees and teenagers!
The official Outer Banks Polar Plunge is this coming Saturday on the beach; I guess I was a tad early ;)!
Friday, March 02, 2007
Field Event Specialist
I've been bloggin' about some pretty serious stuff lately, so I thought I might share a more light-hearted story. Thursday was my first day helping out with the First Flight Middle School track team (Go Seahawks!). The whole experience began humorously as I walked around the middle school trying to figure out where the track team practices. You see, they don't really have a track, just a soccer field. When I finally found the team, my friend Jessica (the head coach) was pretty excited to see me. Jessica comes to the young adult small group at church and teaches at the middle school. She hooked me up with the perfect place to get plugged into the middle school community on the Outer Banks. I used to run track in middle and high school, mainly sprints, relays, and the long jump, so I had agreed to help coach the long jump. When she introduced me to the team, though, she called me the "field event specialist". Suddenly, I've inherited far more responsibilities than I'm trained for. Eek! High jump has always scared me because I'm afraid people will break their necks; and if you've seen the size of my arms, shot put just doesn't fit my body type. Nonetheless, I'm up for the challenge.
So, the amusing part of the practice came when I realized we had no long jump pit. No fear! We live at the beach which means there are sand dunes at the edge of the soccer field. OK, so we had the pit. Then, there's the issue of a scratch board . . . . . Ta-da! A piece of drift wood! We have our make-shift long jump pit. Of course, the middle school kids weren't too convinced. Their response: "Umm . . . aren't there sand spurs in there?" I thought quickly, trying not to give away my lack of planning, and I replied with a big, fake grin, "Eh (shoulder shrug), I don't think it'll be a problem." Of course, at the end of the day when I emptied the sand out of my shoes, I found several sand spurs attached to my shoe laces! Needless to say, we'll be hanging out with the high school team and using their long jump pit as much as possible! I hope I don't have to make a make-shift high jump mat next week ;)!
So, the amusing part of the practice came when I realized we had no long jump pit. No fear! We live at the beach which means there are sand dunes at the edge of the soccer field. OK, so we had the pit. Then, there's the issue of a scratch board . . . . . Ta-da! A piece of drift wood! We have our make-shift long jump pit. Of course, the middle school kids weren't too convinced. Their response: "Umm . . . aren't there sand spurs in there?" I thought quickly, trying not to give away my lack of planning, and I replied with a big, fake grin, "Eh (shoulder shrug), I don't think it'll be a problem." Of course, at the end of the day when I emptied the sand out of my shoes, I found several sand spurs attached to my shoe laces! Needless to say, we'll be hanging out with the high school team and using their long jump pit as much as possible! I hope I don't have to make a make-shift high jump mat next week ;)!
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