Always learning. . .

I am a Christian

2006-03-07T22:10:00.000-05:00

My name is Stephen
And I am a Christian.

‒ I am guided by the ‘law of love’ instituted by Christ in the “Golden Rule”
‒ I view the Christian life as allowing the greatest fulfilment
‒ I do not work on Sundays
‒ I see my body as the temple of the Holy Spirit and thus strive to take care of it
‒ I believe in marital faithfulness - for life - and pre and extra-marital sex as adultery
‒ I believe drinking to the excess is wrong.
‒ I believe practising a homosexual lifestyle is sinful
‒ I struggle against pride
‒ I struggle against selfishness
‒ I struggle against a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude and its consequent judgmentalism
‒ I believe in stewardship of financial resources
‒ I believe in stewardship of environmental resources
‒ I believe that abortion is sinful and reprehensible, a murder of human life
‒ I believe in supporting those with unwanted pregnancies.
‒ I believe that man and woman were created on equal footing, though delightfully different and diverse, having different, creationally-normative roles.
‒ I believe in time stewardship
‒ I believe I am to do everything to the best of my abilities, as working for the Lord, not men.
‒ I believe there is only one way to heaven - Christ Jesus, a historical figure of some 2037 years ago.
‒ I believe in the resurrection of the dead.
‒ I believe there is only one Truth - embodied in Jesus Himself (ask me what this means sometime)
‒ I believe in the culturing and development of creation
‒ I believe in true joy
‒ I believe that God’s common grace allows us the many good pleasures of this life.
‒ I believe we are all longing to come home to the Saviour.
‒ I believe everyone has a ‘place at the table’; not one should be marginalized
‒ I believe that Christians do not, cannot ‘get it right’, and humility is necessary.
‒ I believe that Christians have historically made huge, grievous mistakes, for which I am desperately sorry. I, too, share in this blame.
‒ I believe in the beauty of ‘sanctified celebration’.
‒ I believe that sex is a wonderful, beautiful part of God’s creation - that deserves special modesty.
‒ I believe that the Christian religion makes room for all cultures; it should never be dependent on one cultural embodiment alone: Christ is the standard.
‒ I believe in the authority of Scripture in my life.
‒ I believe in a truly public manifestation of faith – RELIGION IS NOT A PRIVATE ENDEAVOUR.
‒ I believe that because of sin, all humans are completely depraved and stand in need of a Saviour, without whom we are condemned to eternal damnation.
‒ I believe in TULIP:
‒ Total depravity
‒ Unconditional election
‒ Living atonement
‒ Irresistible grace
‒ Perseverance of the saints
‒ I believe I (and Christianity as a whole) have much to learn from other religions.
‒ I believe Christ died for me.
‒ I believe that others must know this truth, and I am not truly believing it unless I am informing others.
‒ I believe in the necessity of community; that we are created as social beings and only in community can we properly function.
‒ I believe that God created the world - though the method of creation need not be a week of 24-hr days.
‒ I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, full God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit.
‒ I believe in fair wages for all.
‒ I believe I should be attempting to culture a lifestyle and worldview that at once engages the society all around me, and yet is separate from it, such that it is able to speak prophetically into it.
‒ I believe in a new heaven and a new earth; that we will not be glorified angels in heaven, but living on earth and continuing to develop God’s good creation, in a perfect manner, whatever that entails.
‒ I believe God is omnipotent, omnipresent, Sovereign, good (in the fullest sense imaginable), merciful, judgmental.
‒ I believe there is a balance to creation.
‒ I am compelled to share the following:
‒ “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:10-14)
‒ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Heb 3:1-3).
‒ PS 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
‒ I believe Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection served to set me free from sin; a condition that is already bought, but not yet fully realized.
‒ Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Morning prayer

2006-03-07T22:08:00.000-05:00

Lord God, I pray that on this day you would allow me to receive from Your hand:

Love without superficiality
Mercy without judgement
Confidence without pride
Humility without insecurity
Peace without shelter
Joy without triteness
Activity without being overwhelmed
Discipline without traditionalism
Grace without merit
Forgiveness by your grace,
and Strength to forgive others.

I thank you, Father, for the beautiful people you have put in my life. I thank you for the beautiful life you have given me. Please help me to serve and give, even as I have been so heartfully served and given to by others. May my life be a blessing to others – always by your grace and to your glory.

For You alone are worthy,

Amen.-

Stealing my joy?

2006-03-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

For the past few days I’ve been stewing about some reading I’ve been doing that relates to my situation on a very personal level. The reading concerns a rather blunt-faced attack on the entire tradition of ‘conventional medicine’ - the very field I am entering!! My parents also had a bit of an impact on me recently as they told some of their perspectives and experiences with conventional medicine. Naturally, I feel defensive. And I think it’s disturbing my spirit a bit.

Certainly, I realize that medical practice is not perfect. The huge emphasis on evidence-based medicine as of late is a testament to the fact that it has not always traditionally been so. There are indeed many examples where medical practice has made false assumptions without doing the requisite studies, occasionally with tragic consequences. As Bill Sardis writes, estrogen therapy for post-menopausal women, and the Vioxx scandal are just two significant events in the past few years that have powerfully demonstrated the huge gaps that continue to exist in our knowledge as medical practitioners, specialists, and researchers.

A further blow to my stature came from Ken Hovind (the dinosaur man), who mentioned somewhat in passing the obvious ill that comes when the human body is treated as merely a conglomeration of chemicals – of course it is only chemicals which will be used to treat it!! Certainly, Ken would argue against such an approach to the human body, and certainly I would agree with his argument!! The body is indeed such a complex composition as to render the absolute reductionist views of many researchers unviable when it comes to making diagnoses and establishing treatment regimens in real, clinical practice. Enter the physician – the one called upon to bridge the gap between the reductionistic research behind the pharmaceutical companies with their wonderful (and friggin’ expensive) drugs AND the patient, a whole-bodied person who has so much more to him/her than a few molecules which may be misaligned at the moment and need some fixin’. How can we, as physicians, bridge this gap?! How are we ever to look at the patient from a wholistic perspective, to treat the illness, not merely the disease?! Jeepers – medicine really is an art AND science mix. A pleasure, a challenge, an eternal frustration.

It is very commonly known that the same drug doesn’t work for everyone with the same condition, even amongst those with identical symptomatology and clinical work-up! Man is NOT a machine and should never be treated as one. Does the pharmaceutical industry treat Homo sapiens as such? I do fear this may be so, to a greater extent that I would like to admit. Their very focus on profit, profit, and more profit is itself a huge witness against their humanity, their view of the suffering patient as a human rather than a disease from which to profit!! Holding on to their patents as long as they can, and refusing to market lower-cost drugs for those nations far too poor to even feed themselves, never mind purchase drugs costing tens of thousands of dollars per year, per patient!!! Tragic, and certainly in-humane (funny that this term is applied more often to those mistreating animals than humans).

And what of a more natural approach to medicine? What of a greater emphasis on prevention? And, even more controversial, what of the so-called biblical diet? Certainly it can’t be that a diet set out so many thousands of years ago still be pertinent to modern man?. . . Hmm.

I think we may all agree that medicine, with all its flaws, weaknesses, and veritable tragedies, has indeed come a very long way in treating many illnesses (not just diseases) since the term was first used, and much before then. Though there seem to be few ‘breakthroughs’, the gradual progression continues – in knowledge, in clinically-applicable techniques, therapies and, yes, even drug regimens. For the ignorant (such as myself), only a few weeks in medical school is enough to convince you of the massive debt we owe to the thousands who have come before us. So much of our medical knowledge – anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, ethics, and the like, rests on a great (and sometimes fragile) foundation afforded us by our forebearers. It is incumbent upon the medical practitioners of today to gain a proper view of medical history, that we may more greatly appreciate the issues involved in future decision-making.

It is a fact that as history moves along, mankind has an unfortunate tendency to drop so many good things along with his intended improvements to the ‘system’, whatever the term refers to. And medicine is certainly a system guilty of leaving behind some very positive historicity in its ongoing quest to tease out the minute details of disease processes and the remedies we may apply. The demise of the family doctor is a formidable example of how impersonal the practice of medicine can be – we are no longer people making relationships with patients, families, and communities – we are providing a service, working within established practice guidelines and certainly going no further!! And herein the patient is certainly guilty as well – shopping around is not always the best means by which we may gain appropriate treatment!

Granted there is good reason to question the trust we have traditionally placed unquestioningly in the hands of our good family doc. It is rather natural to seek a second opinion – whether that may come from another MD, a naturopath, even friends/family, politicians?! JOKE! But what of the cost to the medical system? Why should it be doubly charged for two physicians to make the same recommendations to a patient? Of course, the problem is – often the recommendations are different! And yet herein lies yet another instance where the artistic side of medicine comes in. Not a rigid science, there is a great deal of uncertainty in medicine, a fact which EVERY physician necessarily wrestles, struggles with EVERY DAY!! Yes, this brings discomfort to the patient – and perhaps rightfully so! Thus, trust is paramount – trust that the physician does indeed have the patient’s best at heart, and that if he does not know he will do his research to come to an answer. Trust that the physician is not just out to make a quick buck, and that if he rushes out the door to the next patient he is not trying to ‘turn over another sale’, but serve another important member of his community – there are so many that are waiting!

I believe we have come full circle. Here is the crux of the matter: are physicians today trustworthy? Whatever the systemic problems (and there are many, which requires much deliberation and consideration regarding important changes that must be made), the viability of the health-care system does indeed rest upon the competence, the professionalism of its front-line workers, the nurses, nurse-practitioners, technicians, and especially the physicians. The public relies upon their competence, their ability to keep up with research and changes in their profession, their concern about the patient rather than the profit they may gain by them. And how do we ensure the aspiring, excitable students currently in the country’s medical schools fit this profile?

Alas, thus ends my rant. I might enter here a phrase to the effect that “when the foundations upon which a moral framework is based are eroded, there is little upon which to anchor an evaluation” and a plea to “return to a Judeo-Christian foundation”. However, I know that this is for naught. We are post-moderns and proud of it!! God, dear Saviour, please grant us your grace – your common grace by which you uphold this rebellious earth. Rescue us from the depths of evil thinking and acting to which I/we have succumbed. . .

Some scattered reflections.

2005-10-22T01:00:00.000-04:00

Is it ok to write a blog about nothing? For some strange reason, I feel like blogging tonight, and yet there’s nothing pressing that I’d like to relate.

Perhaps I’ll reflect on a book I’m currently reading for the second time: Stephen Garber’s “Fabric of Faithfulness”. What a fantastic read! It was required reading for my intro to philosophy class several years ago at Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario. At the time I definitely appreciated much of what Garber had to say. However, this second reading seems so much more pertinent because, in many ways, I am currently in the so-called “valley of diapers” time of life Garber’s book is meant for.

How can we maintain the passionate idealism wrought during our university years, through much intellectual stimulate, discussion, and debate? How is it possible to be consistent to our core beliefs when so many life experiences post-university take huge chunks from the pillars upholding them? Can we meaningfully connect our beliefs with our practice with enough integrity to “withstand the light of day and endure the dark of night”?

I sincerely believe that every Christian should, at some point on his journey, goes through a time of crisis in belief. To be honest, I haven’t met that time yet. Why not? I’m not quite sure. Honestly, I think it’s because I’m scare. I’m scare to allow the level of my beliefs criticism to reach the point that my faith is seriously shaken. I cannot allow chunks to be taken out of my pillars! Often I look at this insecurity and commend myself for having an ‘unquestioned faith’. But I wonder, is it simply because I am not taking seriously the questions of faith so prevalent all around? It seems as if we are living in a time when these blows to faith simply cannot be missed.

How can it be that a sovereign God would allow 140,000 to perish in a post-Christmas tsunami? 70,000 to pass in Kashmir’s earthquake? Whole states to be completely disrupted by a hurricane? Are these simply the facts of life? Are we entering the prophesied “end times”? I don’t know. What I do know is that I tend to let myself gloss over these questions. I don’t allow my desire for coherence to enter my life to the point that I question a loving, sovereign God’s decision to allow these atrocities. I might ask, “why, God?”, but my questioning is always superficial, not arising from a depraved and naked spirit that could seriously be impacted by the response. I sit comfortably on my faith cushion.

Is this what faith is all about? Not seriously dealing with the depravity of life on this planet? Or is it, as I shared with a Muslim friend not too long ago, recognizing that life does suck, and we humans can do nothing to improve it – without ‘believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved”. Somehow we need to find a balance, a balance that recognizes the profundity of evil in our world – in my heart – and yet refuses to be knocked down because of it: but only by God’s grace. Only by God’s grace.

Some time ago, I wrote a blog about confession. That topic is on my heart again this evening as I write. Why, God? Why can I not simply recognize the depths of depravity, in my own heart as well as in the world? Why do I intentionally shelter myself from the deepest of questions? Why haven’t you broken me yet? Are you saving me for “such a time as this” (Esther)? Alas, I do not know.

But if you are in this position, as I suspect many Christians are, what do you do about it? I’m quite sure that we cannot ourselves bring about a life-crisis! But somehow my faith doesn’t seem as real without it. I don’t want to pray for a life-crisis; that seems stupid! But where is the legitimacy?! God, why can’t everything seem and feel, REAL? I’ve been desensitized, I know – by the media, which somehow makes tsunamis and earthquakes almost as entertaining as action flicks. By life lived in a sheltered country like Canada. By my own desire to always find ‘a happy ending’. And yet I don’t know where the end of this sheltered maze lies. Will I ever find it? Is this God’s will for me? I know not.

I only know that, every step of the journey, I am called to be faithful. And so, to this end I labour. Are you feeling a bit down right now? A little off the straight-and-narrow? I’m there, man! But there is hope. I’ve often told Maria, “don’t let the past get you down. The only valid purpose for reflecting on the past is to learn something from it.” Let’s commit ourselves to a deepening prayer life. How?

Pray more! Tell God exactly what you want – deeper intimacy with Him, to hear His voice more, to see His work in the world so you may join it.

Read His Word more! This is something I’ve managed to do with a small amount of consistency recently. I’ve been amazed at how through the Holy Scriptures, God has answered some serious questioning I’ve been doing of some beliefs I’ve picked up – like was Israel really chosen TO BLESS OTHERS? That seems like a crock! However, reading through Isaiah just this morning, God convicted me that indeed, He did intend to bless others through His chosen nation, even if it isn’t blatantly obvious in the Old Testament, or it takes Goheen to point out the its presence in the Abrahamic Covenant. Another question: why would God choose to include in His Word such long, boring sections as are often found in the Old Testament? I don’t have complete answers to either of these, but I do know that as I’ve been reading through Isaiah with a certain amount of commitment, He has been drawing me closer to Himself, and showing me more of who He is, and what He’s all about (which includes using Israel, and us, to bless others).

And finally, DO SOMETHING! Get involved somewhere. Put all those beliefs into practice. Reformed theology? It’s worthless unless impactful. “Woe is me if my professedly-deepest life commitments mean nothing in daily life!” Let us PRACTICE what it means to be childs of the King – increasing in love; genuine, agape love for the everyday people in our lives.

I’ll close this random, scattered post with some words that have been ringing in my head almost daily in the past little while. Meditate on them, reflect on what it really means: “foolishness to the Greeks” (a little reminder that the fundamental building blocks of the society around us are composed of Greek philosophy, and this has shaped us to a far greater extent than the most perceptive realize).

**********
1st Corinthians 1:17-25:

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate."

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

*********

May the Lord bless you in all you do – and use YOU to be a blessing.

Little/Big update

2005-09-26T23:53:00.000-04:00

Ok, so it's been so long since I last posted, I don't even know where to start. I think I may have experienced a little bit of an attitude shift toward the whole blogging thing: where initially I imagined it to be some kind of brilliant forum where only "genius thoughts" were shared, I am now beginning to realize that it's purpose is more to provide an outlet where one's everyday thoughts can be shared. And perhaps occasionally (hopefully at some point) those thoughts will come out sounding somewhat profound? I'm hoping that is the case, anyway.

So, about the update. For those of you that don't know, I'm presently attending the University of Ottawa Medical School, in my first year. I feel so incredibly blessed to be in this position; it's something I have looked forward to almost my entire life, and I am truly enjoying almost every minute of it. My fellow students are all exceptional people, every one of them. It is awesome hearing their stories, what brought them to medical school, and learning about their backgrounds. The diversity I've experienced here is not something I'm entirely used to, and so requires some adjustment - a very good thing, for sure.

Thus far I have found my studies challenging, but certainly not overwhelming. I am attempting to turn over a new leaf in life by actually being somewhat dedicated to my studies during the day. . . (who I am I kidding, that's turning over a whole TREE, not a leaf! :), and perhaps, PERHAPS, giving in to my procrastinatoratory tendencies a mite less? We'll see about that! All kidding aside, this is something I'm intently working on, and being moderately successful at. Old habits die hard, I've often been told!

I've found it very interesting to note the manner in which evolution is dealt with in this secular setting. Being educated my whole life in a Christian environment, this is not something I'm entirely used to, either. Here, evolution is largely treated as gospel truth; there is no question of its validity for explaining our ancestry (and, of course, the ancestry of the entire universe), though they may wonder at the exact method through which those two delicious variables - random mutations and natural selection - have worked over time. I can't say I've felt overly challenged by the frequent incorporation of this atheistic (though entirely religious) philosophy. However, I do often find myself wondering at how I could counter the claims made by the evolutionist; is there any proof I could provide for a creationist perspective? I often find myself with mouth open, but no words to fill it. Perhaps God did work through evolution after all - the loving Creator gently guiding the development of His creatures through a long (or not so long; with a Creator involved, time is not quite as important), ancient history. . . But alas, I've opened the can of worms, and I dare not deal with those slimy little creatures at the moment. Regardless of one's perspective, I think it is important that when it comes to creational events, we are dealing much more in the realm of philosophy and religion than science.

A final thought I would like to reflect on is an oft-occurring one I've experienced here in Ottawa. Surrounded by such incredible students as I am, I frequently find myself questioning what good God would do in their lives. What 'hole' would He fill? They all seem to be very well-adjusted persons, most of them coming from very stables homes, having good relationships with family and their larger communities. Smart, often well-to-do, and generally very kind, how could they ever be convinced of their need for the Lord?! Particularly in this post-modern society where a mention of my Christian faith is met with a gracious nod, accompanied by the very vicious thought, 'that's great FOR YOU. I hope you're happy doing that.' Oh, how can we reach anyone when truth is seen as relative? Do we prostrate ourselves before the god of individualism and broadcast our faith as the most self-fulfilling, glorious way of self-embetterment? Do we fall in line with the typical conception of conservative Christianity and beat others over the head with our bigotry and intolerance? Or do we fall in line with what (it seems) 99% of the other Christians around us are doing - keeping our faith neatly wrapped in the box labelled "private life"; perhaps a glass box so others can see the impact it's having on our private lives, but certainly one with very tough walls, preventing our faith's terrible intrusion into the public sphere. . . How do these people need God? Or is Christianity only a religion for the weak, those whose need for God is much more obvious, and therefore witness can proceed more easily? This is certainly an easy conclusion to come to for me at this point. It is so much easier to wait until a crisis comes in the non-Christian's life, and then be there with the free grace and life-transforming power of God Himself. However, what about all those who never reach a crisis during the time we need them? It seems too simplistic, I know, but I encounter these thoughts often. . .

I supposed the more obvious conclusion would be that every one has a hole that God needs to fill, whether visible (as in a crisis), or not. And certainly, one could argue that we need constantly to be demonstrating the transformed life that belongs uniquely to the Christian. But this is perhaps what is troubling me so much! (Sorry to slug you through all the other stuff to reach this point :). What, in fact, can I demonstrate to my biblical neighbour that is compelling enough to stimulate the questioning response, "what do you have that makes you different." As I said, my fellow students (making up the majority of my non-Christian interaction at this point) all seem to be at the same level as I! Often a higher level, it seems! I have much to work on.

When one boils down the matter, I suppose the best thing to say in closing would be a reminder that evangelism is NEVER, and SHOULD NEVER BE a solely human endeavour, guiding by the rational principles of need-fulfilment. God is the One who is orchestrating His kingdom purposes in this world. It is He who will stimulate questioning responses as above. However, the challenge for myself is to ensure that my life is shining with a brilliance that comes only from being with the Saviour. That my actions are empowered by daily interaction with the Spirit - who, through prayer, is working also in the lives of my fellow students. May my life be so oriented that it does, in fact, through whatever God-orchestrated means, compel others to seek after the God who makes this all possible. I pray that it be so.

Have a good day. God bless you.

Stephen.

PS: I apologize for length. Perhaps it makes up for a deficiency in number of posts? :)

Fundamentals of Christianity?!

2005-03-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

Forgive the rather presumptuous title. The ‘points' made in this posting arise from a discussion in which I participated last Thursday evening with a number of Redeemerites after together watching "What the Bleep Do We Know". It was a powerfully stimulating movie, and if you wish to be challenged I suggest you watch it (I actually purchased a copy, so just ask and I'd be happy to let you borrow it).

While watching the movie, I had two rather spiritual experiences. The first is a prayer which arose, asking that the Lord protect my faith. The descriptions of the ‘spiritual' experiences which the movie portrayed seemed so equal to the Christian experience, they played right into my own constant questioning and critical attitude toward the faith and I found I needed some sort of protection from this apostate religious presentation.

Strangely, the other "spiritual" experience I had was a prayer that I keep my mind open. So often when I encounter a challenging, foreign philosophy or other, the tendency is to ‘turtle', to clamber into my shell and spew some weak, trite Christian phrases of why I am a Christian without dealing profoundly with the challenges a particular framework poses to my faith. Not wanting to fall prey to this mentality once again, I determined (and prayed) that I would allow the full weight of what was being presented to hit me, that I would at least be able to grasp what needing countering.

The discussion after the movie was a powerful affirmation of the need for Christian community. It was exceptional to be able to discuss what the movie had to say in an environment that was open-minded, intellectual, honest and genuinely sought to grapple with the issues raised – and yet provided a security in that we were all Christians! From our discussion, several things stuck out regarding the power of the Christian faith that I'd like to relate: love, community, Creator/creature distinction, embodiment, story, reality (humility, etc). I'll give a brief description of each, and I invite you to comment on one or more which strikes you as a powerful tenet of what God has revealed to us as His truth. . .

LOVE: The Christian religion does not involve some impersonal, spiritual interaction. Rather, God reveals Himself to us as a God who loves; loves deeply and unconditionally. One of the greatest truths (and paradoxes) of the Christian religion.

COMMUNITY: The value of the Christian community CANNOT BE OVER-EXPRESSED!!! Certainly there are always minor tensions, but what unites us if far more foundational and powerful than anything which can divide. This community provides us with a substantial common ground that can be immediately recognized, even with a complete stranger! Especially during times of hardships/struggle, the Christian community is invaluable, and something which we should proclaim even more loudly to the world (and seek to embody more faithfully) as we witness in our post-modern, individualist context.

CREATOR/CREATURE DISTINCTION: This is one which I owe to Richard Oosterhoff, and yet I agree with him that it is foundational and invaluable. Christianity strives to be faithful to what can generally be know intuitively – and in this case, it means recognizing our finiteness, our limited ability to gain meaningful knowledge, our dependence upon a ‘higher being' – the Lord Jesus Christ. Correspondance to reality is key (to be elaborated on further down).

EMBODIMENT: Another incredibly powerful aspect of Christianity, the value of which I've only recently come to appreciate more fully. What a difference the Biblical style of revelation makes, in comparison to some dogmatic laying out of rules for existence. Yes I, like many, often find myself longing for some form of explicit structural guidelines for life. And yet Christ's embodiment, His example of how to life, has so much more, timeless power. His incarnation, bringing together the "purely" spiritual and physical into one coherent whole, is forever a model for Christian life, and testimony of the One who is far from distant, but a "high priest who has been tested in every way, just as we are, and yet was without sin" (Heb. 4:15). Truth is a person. Love is a person. Incredible, profound, inconceivable.

STORY: Perhaps this one is somewhat more familiar; however, this does not undermine its brilliance. The idea that we are part of a grand narrative, which gives meaning and purpose to history, the present, and the future – and a vision for a final consumation is something which we as Christians should not neglect to appreciate! That God has chosen to use us (weak vessels though we are) within His great plan for His kingdom and creational renewal is at once paradoxical and incredibly fulfilling (if not also humbling).

REALITY: The Christian worldview, more than any other, provides the most intuitive framework for our existence. Though certainly as Christians we are called to live as an "alternative community" that proclaims the "new humanity" (does anyone hear echoes of Goheen. . ? :), that new humanity is really what all of us know in our heart of hearts is the truth. Perhaps all the other points cohere with this one – our need to be loved, to have a purposeful existence (story), to have an embodied role model, to worship a Creator – distinct from His creation, yet intimately involved with it, and to live in a truly fulfilling community.

Yes, I am hopelessly biassed. However, I am convinced that very few people, if they were honest with themselves, would deny a profound, deep-down desire for a worldview as fulfilling as the life Christ offers. I praise God that He comes through, in more ways than are imaginable, on His promise to provide us with life, and that to the full.

That's all for tonight, folks. I welcome your comments and especially your criticisms. Emailing doesn't hurt, either!

PS: I should note that this movie is incredibly powerful in its deliberate attempt to provide an alternative framework for a ‘new age' style religion – check out its website (www.whatthebleep.com), and note the "study groups" and other literature they are providing!

Working: Gotta hate it, gotta love it

2005-03-29T02:08:00.000-05:00

Have you gotten the feeling that you're always working, but never really getting anything done? I HATE IT! I get the feeling all the time, the I need to be working and there's so much to do, and yet I can't get the gumption to get off my a&$ and do something! There's always something else ‘legitimate' to do instead.

If you share these feelings of frustration, perhaps I might share some thoughts I've had regarding from whence this situation arises:

I'm convinced that a great reason for my non-productivity is my recalcitrance in neglecting some very important other aspects of life which take priority over schoolwork. First of all, I can't expect to work meaningfully without taking time to be with the Lord. This should come before anything else: schoolwork, housework, and time spent with my wife or alone. And yet to be honest I think lately the days when I don't spend any sort of quality time with the Lord have been in the majority :(.

Why, Lord? Why so often does my professed faith stay in the worthless verbal stage?

Certainly, time spent in devotion is a priority, and I've experienced many time in the past just how incredible a difference it makes for any other activity I may want to participate in meaningfully later that day (or next day)!

One other thing I wish to mention: the need to relax. Paradoxically, I'm convinced that in order to be productive at all, it is vital that time for true relaxation be allotted. What does this mean? Probably not an intense squash game, an intellectual discussion on some non-glasswork topic, or cooking, etc. Genuine relaxation time. When's the last time you allowed yourself to have just 10 minutes to sit down and do absolutely nothing?! I rarely, if ever, allow myself to do so! No wonder my brain seems to function at such a minimal level! There's certainly more to the Sabbath rest than simply Sunday observance; it also means taking time each day to unwind. In these moments the Lord can speak powerfully as well. (Additionally, how often aren't our Sundays, too, cluttered with a whole number of ‘projects' to be completed, whether school-related or not?!).

So I rambled again. My apologies. The two points I wish to make are simple: Make space for quality, intimate time with the Father. Give yourself "NOTHING TIME". Going for walks can be amazing for this.

One more thing – the next time you see me, ask if I've been following my own advice. My hypocritical nature needs to be curbed, and often!

Confession

2005-03-29T01:55:00.000-05:00

This blog arises from a concern I've had recently over the place of confession in the worship service. My reading of "Outgrowing the Ingrown Church" by John Miller forcefully reminded me of the exceptional importance of confession in the communal life of a church, as well as in the life of an individual Christian.

So why is confession so important? I think several reasons. The first is that I think genuine confession is one of the best means of growing in intimacy with the Father. It is as we come humbly before Him, acknowledging in fullness our many faults that we are humbled further still as His calling to "be holy, even as I am holy" reminds us again of how far short we fall. Only as we draw near to His quenching fire can we gain some greater sense of our depravity.

[Secondly] And yet the beautiful thing is that as we draw closer to God and expose our deep hurts and failures, our raw vulnerabilities to Him, His love becomes more real than ever. We may come trembling into His presence, hesitant to even mention so many of the actions for which we are not proud; the sins we have repeated innumerably and those for which we are particularly not proud. It is in this frail state that the Lord gathers us in His arms and gently reminds us that it was for this that He died. Is it not our sinfulness that brought us to Him in the first place?

At this point, I am reminded of the words of Romans 5:20-6:4:
"The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

The new life. How does this fit into our confession? I believe that our confession is absolutely vital for gaining the new life which Christ desires to impart to us daily. Firstly, confessing our sins lays the burden on God – the only one truly able to handle them and put them away for good. As we cast our burdens upon the Lord, we draw nearer to Him and recognize again our absolute contingency upon His gracious leading in our lives. And herein comes for me what is one of the greatest truths of Christianity: in my brokenness before the cross, in my weakness, God's power is made perfect.

Is it not true that only as we come to Him in true humility that our lives are really opened up to His leading? For so often our arrogance, our confidence that our way is in fact better than what the Holy Spirit is suggesting, so severely limits our functionality as a soldier for Christ. In our Christian symbolism we are constantly reminded of our weakness; the Bible uses such terminology to describe us as sheep, lost coins, a body with no head, etc. I am reminded of a potent image I was given several months ago – we are not simply ‘earthen vessels'. Rather we are, as it were, cracked pottery. We have hardened ourselves to the leading of God, and in doing so have been broken by sin. How truly useless is a clay pot with a whole in it! How can it be fixed?! Only a Creator – a re-Creator – could do such a thing!

And thus our confession must lead inevitably into songs of joy. Our penitence MUST lead to gladness. We ARE TRULY FORGIVEN! As we lay our burdens at the foot of the cross and stare in mystery as the heavy load is absolved by our crucified-now-risen Lord, the shackles of sin come off. Our freedom from sin's curse is made potently clear once again – may we leave with a firm resolve to soften ourselves to the ever-occurring reshaping of our lives in the hands of the Master Potter.

I leave with an exhortation and a Scripture quote:
Read Psalm 51

PS 32:2 Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

PS 32:3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

PS 32:4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Selah

PS 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, "I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD"--
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah

PS 32:6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you
while you may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him.

PS 32:7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Selah

PS: My deepest apologies. How typical of Western society that I pay tribute to community in one line at the beginning and somehow fail to mention it meaningfully elsewhere! I'll have to write something about communcal confession in a future post. Keep you posted :) haha.

Kuyper

2005-03-09T01:31:00.000-05:00

A big influence on my life this semester has been my reading of Abraham Kuyper's biography. It is only natural that so successful, so proliferus a writer such as Kuyper should inspire me to write as well! I am incredulous at the vast amount of achievements this one man accomplished in his lifetime! Prime Minister for a term (Member of Parliament for several), establisher of a political party, founder of a university, and largely responsible for bringing Calvin's work once again into the fore of Christian thinking. He also edited a daily and weekly newspaper, and for each he wrote vast numbers of substantial articles. How could one man achieve all of this? Evidently, he was exceptionally talented - gifted. His success has also made me realize how imperative it is that we as Christians make ground-breaking use of the technologies available to us to further God's kingdom in a powerful way, not abandoning them to the devil's scheming.
It was particularly intriguing for me to learn how Kuyper was initially powerfully drawn by the liberal theory taught at the University of Utrecht he attended – particularly since it was a humble, female parishioner who had a rather large part in making him realize that liberal thinking had missed something huge in the Christian life. In retrospect, it is truly wondrous to be able to trace through those earlier years of Kuyper's life the incredible ways in which God works to bring about His purposes.
Kuyper's discipline was also inspiring. Every morning Kuyper locked himself in his study to complete his writing for the day. During the afternoon he took care of business, and taught at the university. Supper was family time. And every evening, without fail, he would go on a walk, all alone, to reflect – often coming up with the material for the next day's writing. Certainly, I think there are elements here which each of us may learn from – his dedication to spending some time along, his dedication to family time, his dedication to his work. . . I only wish I would be so faithful!
Kuyper was truly an incredible man, and I'm quite convinced that we may learn much by studying the lives of great men who've gone before us, a part of the heritage that has formed our lived in very significant ways!
Thanks for reading.

First post - why blog?

2005-03-09T00:52:00.000-05:00

I feel the need to justify my creation of a blogging website, and use of this service which so many others have joined, whether recently or ancient years ago :). Essentially my desire to blog arises from a growing sense I've had this year regarding the simple need to write. In my estimation, just writing is an extremely helpful activity. First of all, it naturally improves one's writing. It is a fantastic way to organize and clarify one's thoughts. Further, use of blogging to write makes sure that I am careful in my formulations (not just haphazard thoughts, as may appear in a diary or so). It also provides a forum wherein ideas may be discussed and others may critique the various thoughts which, for better or worse, have been publicly exposed :).
I'm excited to blog from time to time, however do not even think about making me feel guilty for not having blogged for a certain period of time! I'd prefer to blog at times when I have a burning issue that I feel needs an outlet, not because the clock says it's time to!
Thanks for reading.