Resurrection

An inspiring piece by Rob Bell. (click the link to watch the movie)

Jesus is standing in front of the temple in Jerusalem, the massive gleaming brick and stone and gold house of God and he says, "Destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it in three days." The people listening to him said "how are you going to do that? It took 46 years to build this temple!" But he wasn’t talking about that temple, he’s talking about himself. He essentially says, "listen, I’m going to be killed." That’s where this is headed, because you don’t confront corrupt systems of power without paying for it, sometimes with your own blood. And so he’s headed to his execution.

If you had witnessed this divine life extinguished on a cross, how would you not be overwhelmed with despair? Is the world ultimately a cold, hard, dead place? Does death have the last word? Is it truly, honestly, actually dark, and so whatever light we do see, whatever good we do stumble upon, are those just blips on the radar? Momentary interruptions in an otherwise meaningless existence? Because if that’s the case, then despair is the only reasonable response.

It's easy to be cynical, but Jesus says destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it. He insists that his execution would not be the end. He’s talking about something new and unexpected happening after his death. He’s talking about resurrection.

Resurrection announces that God has not given up on the world, because this world matters. This world that we call home--dirt and blood and sweat and skin and light and water. This world that God is redeeming and restoring and renewing. Greed and violence and abuse...they are not right and they cannot last. They belong to death and death does not belong.

Resurrection says that what we do with our lives matters. In this body, the one that we inhabit right now, every act of compassion matters. Every work of art that celebrates the good and the true matters, every fair and honest act of business and trade, every kind word. They all belong and they will all go on in God’s good world. Nothing will be forgotten, nothing will be wasted. It all has it’s place

Everybody believes something, everybody believes somebody. Jesus invites us to trust resurrection, that every glimmer of good, every hint of hope, every impulse that elevates the soul is a sign, a taste, a glimpse of how things actually are and how things will ultimately be. Resurrection affirms this life and the next as a seamless reality, embraced, graced, and saved by God.

There is an unexpected mysterious presence who meets each of us in our lowest moments, when we have no strength and when we have nothing left. When we can’t go on we hear the voice that speaks those words, "Destroy this temple and I’ll rebuild it."

Do you believe this? That’s the question Jesus asked then, and that’s the question he asks now.

Jesus’ friends arrive at his tomb and they’re told "he isn’t here". You didn’t see that coming, did you? "He’s isn’t here, there is nothing to fear, and nothing can ever be the same again." We are living in a world in the midst of rescue, with endless unexpected possibilities.

"They will take my life and I will die," Jesus says, "but that will not be the end." And when you find yourself assuming that it’s over, when it’s lost, gone, broken and it could never be put back together again, when it’s been destroyed and you swear that it could never be rebuilt, hold on a minute. Because in that moment, things will in fact have just begun.

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I watched this clip this evening, and God knows how much I needed it. I listened a few times, and realized how much more I would get out of it by reading it, so I decided to type it out as I listened. Then, after typing for about half an hour, I tried searching for the transcript, and realized that I could've saved time and just posted that. But I got so much out of this transcript, it was definitely worth it.

Psalm 62

Only God can save me,

Lord, you are in control, help my in my need

and I calmly wait for Him

Father, help me be patient as I place my trust in you

God alone is the mighty rock the keeps me safe, and the fortress when I'm secure

I am weak, remind me of your unfaltering strength. Even when I feel steady, your ever present might aids me

I feel like a shaky fence or a sagging wall

Build me up in faith, so that I may stand tall again. Thank you for the supports present in my life when I do waiver.

How long will all of you attack me?

Be with me in my struggle.

You want to bring me down from my place of honor

Help me remain stable and always humble, Lord.

You love to tell lies, and when your words are kind, hatred hides in your heart

Remind me of the truth, and do not let lies confuse or control me.

Only God gives me inward peace, and I depend on him.

Nothing I can do with my hands will bring me peace. Help me remember this, and help me keep you at the center of my search for rest.

God alone is the mighty rock that keeps me safe,

Guide me to turn to you first, Lord

and He is the fortress when I feel secure.

Thank you for the moments of peace and clarity, when Your Love is revealed to me.

God saves and honors me.

You redeem me. In all the ways I stumble and fall, You still help me pick up the pieces

He is that mighty rock where I find safety.

Lead me to the shelter of your arms when I need rest.

Trust God, my friends,

and always tell him each of your concerns.

God is our place of safety.

We humans are only a breath;

We do not live for the prizes of the world

none of us are truly great.

Remind me of our weaknesses, and of Your greatness

All of us together weigh less than a puff of air;

and yet I spend my days worrying

Don't trust in violence or depend on dishonesty or rely on great wealth.

You are the only thing we can rely on.

I heard God say two things:

"I am powerful, and I am very kind."

Remind my of these things this week, let your power and grace awe me.

The Lord rewards each of us according to what we do,

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings you have given me.

Lord, in your mercy, here our prayers.

(Psalm 62, CEV)

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I frequently pray through the psalms, much like this prayer that I have just shared. I often struggle with what to say, how to say it, and my biggest distraction is, well, distraction. The Psalms are a tool that God has provided for us to continue to be centered on Him.

I don't believe you can pray the 'wrong thing'. My most common prayer that I say hundreds of times of day is a simple whisper of His name. Lord. He knows what I need, he knows where my thoughts are. I also tend to use songs as a prayer. My favorite line is Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers. I have formed the habit of ending almost every prayer with this line.

Another lesson I've learned while praying through the psalms is sometimes you DON'T have to say anything. Repeating things someone else said is totally fine, cause God knows exactly what you mean.

Do what you can do, try new things to find what works. The most important thing is to just pray, no matter what form it takes.

New post over at Sproductions!

Check it out

If grace is an ocean,
We are all sinking.

Having Peace

Everyone has seen tragedy. Haiti, 911, the Holocaust... Few of us have faced such depth as tragedy as those listed, however, some form of strife has made it's way into all of our lives. For some it is the death of a loved one. For other, it may be a health related crisis. Others will face divorce or other personal trauma.

Tragedy comes as a part of life -- non-Christians and Christian alike. Details may vary, but the experience does not.

I have asked many times over life whether it's possible to have peace in the world we live in. Some people would say that peace is impossible, an ideal that we can work toward but never obtain. I, on the other hand, think that peace is entirely possible. Through experience though, I think that it can be difficult to acheive, and we usually seek it in the wrong way... Here are 3 suggestions I can make.

1. Understand that God is here
There are tons of 'God' bumper stickers out there, and there's one that I've seen that says "Know God, Know Peace. No God, No Peace". This is totally true. Without acknowledgement that there is a God, we will not have peace. That's why it's called the "peace of God" or "God's peace" in the Bible. At this moment, I can't explain it, but all I know is that "I've got the peace that passes understanding down in my heart".

2. Understand that God is aware
Jesus made a remarkable statement concerning this incredible attribute of the awareness of God in Matthew 10:29... Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. Honestly, God did not create this world and then turn His back on it; His is aware of what is going on, and we are alone in the struggles we are facing. He rejoices when he sees good, love and beauty. It breaks His heart when He sees strife; war and hatred, what we have done to this world.

3. Understand that God cares

Okay, so there's a God, but that's not enough to bring us peace. He's aware of what is going on., but still... Is that enough to bring peace in my life? A big tipping point for me is to know that God cares.

Not only is he with us, He knows us. He knows who each one of us is, and knows everything about us. He knows the numbers of hairs on each of our heads* and knows our every want and need. If He cares about the hairs on our heads to that degree of detail, I feel confident that He knows everything about us in all ways. David got it write when he wrote "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me"

If we are going to have peace in our lives it will only be when we genuinely realize that God not only knows whats best for us, but that He wants what is best for us. And then we have to take that belief and act upon it. We must step out in faith knowing that God is rooting for us and that He knows what He's doing.

Too often we second-guess God. It's almost like we say "Okay God. I love you, and I know you are in fact God. I know you are The Creator and the Ruler of the entire freakin' universe, but, I think in this case, I actually know the better thing to do." And so we do what we think is best and then when it all falls to pieces, we wonder what went wrong. It's funny that sometimes we look back and say, "Darn, if only I had done what God had wanted me to do..." God cares, and He sees a much bigger picture than we do (kinda like someone else I know--shout out!).

The life of a Christian isn't all quiet and contemplative. We face turmoil and trouble just like anyone else. But the wonder of it all is that, in the midst of all the troubled life that is crashing loudly around us, we can have peace! With the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we can experience peace on a level that defies humans understanding (check out Philippians 4:7).

It means we can experience God's peace in our church. It means we can experience God's peace in our homes, even between parents and siblings. It means we can experience God's peace out in the world. Really, it means that we can experience God's piece in our hearts. It doesn't mean that any of these places are going to be perfect, but it means that in spite of that, we can have peace. Because true peace doesn't come from us, or anything the world can offer us - it comes from God.


*(side note: I've always wanted to ask...)