Category Archives: journey

September 13, 2012

unpredictable

By arpology

I’m not sure how many of you are like me, but I love doing other things while driving. I realize that this possibly means I am placing the lives of my family, myself and countless other motorists at risk, but I can’t help it. Now I’m not talking about texting or anything that actually deters from the driving process, but rather stuff that I feel adds to the driving experience. Whether it is looking at billboards, checking out cool cars with my son or observing people’s personal habits in their “facade of isolation” known as a car, I can’t help myself. But one of my absolute favorite things to do is to read signs in front of businesses. Usually the best ones belong to churches as they attempt to post something to draw you in or give you encouragement in a quixotic little saying. But my favorite as of late belongs to an insurance agency, of all places and it reads like this, “Life is unpredictable. Plan for it.”

Isn’t that great? Plan for that which you can’t plan for by buying our product that will give you some false sense of security so you can go on living your life that will in some way continue to defy your expectations. Now don’t get me wrong; I think it’s a good thing to have insurance…especially when very few of us have the ability to self-insure our possessions and lives. The issue for me is not necessarily what the insurance does, but what it replaces. 1 Timothy 6:17-18 reads “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” Before you get all antsy, let me place this in the proper context. If we were all being judged, present company included, as to whether or not we are rich based on Paul’s assessment in today’s world, we would all be considered wealthy.

And wealth in and of itself isn’t bad. But sometimes it replaces hope and trust in Him who we should have trust. ‘Life is unpredictable’ is probably some of the best theology I have seen on a sign of that nature. I think you could even go a step further and quote The Princess Bride, “Life is pain. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying or trying to sell you something.” I always add it up this way: Life is hard, this world is broken, but God is good. The latter being the most important. The rub comes in when those insurances, those comforts that we set aside to protect us begin to rob us of the need to walk with God. If we aren’t leaning on Him for our security and hope on a daily basis then how will we know His goodness when hard times fall upon us? If we aren’t living out Kingdom economics and trusting in the full security of the King rather than in what we can “secure” by our own means then do we really know the King? Maybe that’s why it is as difficult as a camel going through a needle’s eye.

Life is unpredictable. May we plan for it not by our own hands by by walking hand in hand with the One who is good even in the midst of the chaos.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in God the Father, journey, learning, pain

July 18, 2012

legging it out

By arpology

For those of you who might occasionally follow my random ramblings on Twitter or Facebook it will come as no surprise as to the title of this blog. For the rest of you who haven’t suffered the misfortune of following me on either of the two aforementioned venues I can explain briefly. There is a severe disconnect between my brain and my body when it comes to my presumed youth and correlative athletic abilities. Because of this disconnect, the last two weeks have become witness to me tweaking my hamstring and severely bruising my shin; all on my right leg (yes that is the same one I had an ACL repair on almost two years ago). And the sad thing about it…I plan on playing in our church league soccer game tomorrow night. I guess I am somewhat of a glutton for punishment and I kind of have a never say die attitude when it comes to my body (kind of an ironic statement). I think it all boils down to a lack of patience and a lack of waiting in and on myself, or rather my physical self, to let me know when it is appropriate to continue or not. I am a fan of legging it out/making the play/enjoying the game even if my body is not. To tell you the truth, it is actually kind of selfish of me. I rarely take into account those who could be affected by these actions. My family could even suffer if I put myself in a cast for a few weeks (God forbid). I could get carried away with the competition and fun of whatever I am engaged in and injure someone around me inadvertently through my carelessness. Or I could push myself too far physically and limit some future life goals set in place because I have burnt up all of my reserves too quickly. And all of this is born out of enjoying satisfaction in the now and not the later.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe that we are called to live in the moment. But I believe it is for the other and not for us. Take for instance all of this hullabaloo over “50 Shades of Gray” and Magic Mike”. Do I believe it is garbage….YES. But then again there is a lot of refuse out there. And for a moment, people buy into it. What is a little bit going to hurt? It’s just a quick fix. I think the problem with all of this trash and I guess sin in general is that it really is impatience and a desire for immediate satisfaction/power/control that wins out the day. If I read this book or see this movie or visit this porn site for a little bit of titillation right now then what is it going to hurt? The problem is that this is not life lived out for the other. And ultimately that is a life lived out of false hope.

I know contextually this may seem weird, but Isaiah 40:30-31 reads, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Those who hope in the Lord. Those who wait upon the Lord. How can the immediate compare with that? I personally want to run and not get weary; to walk and not be faint. But if I am compromising the “best” for the “moment” then I am ultimately compromising my best self. Living in a society of instant gratification has cost us a lot, but maybe if we wait upon God in each moment then we can find ourselves again.

 

Leave a comment | posted in journey, selfishness, sin

June 19, 2012

google vs grandpa

By arpology

I love  some of the things one can read on the internet. For instance, “You Can’t Believe Most of the Quotes You Read On the Internet” -Abraham Lincoln. There’s a lot of truth to that statement. And I guess the question that arises from all of this is when did the internet become the gold standard for the impartation of knowledge. I recognize that there is unprecedented access to information that dwarfs all of the libraries of the ancient world, but is this really what it is supposed to be about? I mean if you ask anyone to look up something or to try to define a concept in today’s world they immediately go to Google. And the craziest part of all of this…we rarely question the information handed to us on this electronic platter. On the contrary we all to often have become distrusting and cynical when it comes to people.

And this is scary for a lot of reasons. To begin with there really isn’t a great way to validate the information given to us by the internet. Credentials can be faked and people can even be credited with saying things they never said i.e. Abraham Lincoln above. Why would we value the message over the messenger? But this is really where the issue takes root. Because of online social communities and instant message interactions (this even extends into text messaging) we really have lost the presence of valuable relationship outside of the electronic super highway. Over and over again I have had students have an easier time expressing themselves to me online than in a room face to face.

And I know that this breakdown of relationship between my generation and the younger has it’s negative implications, but the relationships I fear that we are losing the most is our reverence for the older generations and the value or lack thereof placed upon their wisdom. I think it would be safe to say that most of the generation over sixty (I don’t want to generalize too much) most often feel labels like irrelevant, out-dated or technologically challenged becoming their monicker instead of wise or learned. But the Bible has something to say on this. Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.”  Gray hair is attained in walking rightly through life. I even remember some of the older members in my family blaming the gray hairs on the younger ones in our family in a joking fashion. And yet in our day and age this gray hair has become a curse instead of a crown.

The questions raised in my mind sound a bit like this….what lessons are we doomed to repeat when we don’t listen to those who have come before? What value are we placing on life experience and life in general when we ignore those who have lived longer than us? When did youth’s adaptation to information medium begin to outweigh the wisdom of those who lived said information and medium development? And lastly, what happens to grandpa’s stories and grandma’s heritage when we have placed them both on the shelf?

May we be so bold as to begin to value grandpa over Google once again and assign to life true value as it is lived by those who have come before.

5 comments | posted in community, family, journey, walk

January 4, 2012

struggle

By arpology

Do you ever have those moments where you hear something and you agree with it, but for some reason you also disagree with it. Just me? Well I guess that makes sense. But I am always in one way or another a conflicted person. But I ultimately think that in one way or another that is how life is to be lived. At least the life lived by faith. There was something I heard recently regarding our walk with God and I agreed with it, but at the same time felt that there was more to it.  You see I think faith could possibly be defined as a struggle with the Divine. Not in an attempt to overcome, but rather in a struggle to comprehend in order to become like. In fact it was this very struggle where we, mankind first fell. In the garden we wanted to be like God so much we disobeyed. We thought there was an easy way…But becoming Christ like is so much more than a one time decision.

Take Jacob for instance. I love his wrestling match at Peniel, “In this corner weighing in at around 135lbs Jacob, Son of Isaac and in this corner unnamed Angel weighing in at a unknown celestial weight…”. Okay, maybe that is a bit much. But Jacob so struggled with the Divine and finding his place in YHWH’s will that his very name became Israel. His name literally meant to fight, to struggle. And this was not only his name, but the name of the Nation that came after him. The people of God strive with God, struggle with God, walk with God.

I say all this to say that I don’t think walking with the Divine is ever easy. I believe to comprehend what God has for us and beyond that to practice it is a constant struggle. That’s why the apostle Paul uses words like race, struggle, fight, etc. Because that’s what this is. At the end of Philippians chapter one we read, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.” This description by Paul about the struggle becomes the segue for one of the most amazing pieces of scripture as to what our struggle is all about in chapter two. Our struggle…to be like Christ. This is what we are called to…and I am so thankful and frustrated that it is not easy.

In a novel I have been reading recently I came across the following quote, “It was said that pilgrims should not spend too much time planning their journey, for they might learn of so many hazards that they would decide not to go.”* This is often the case for our journey with Christ as well. There is a struggle ahead of us, but the journey and the striving leads us into becoming like Christ until with are with Him forever. So struggle on…
* Follett, Ken (2010-07-27). World Without End (p. 60). Penguin Group. Kindle Edition.

1 comment | posted in journey

August 23, 2011

ugly pruning

By arpology

So yesterday I decided to take on the small project of trimming the shrubs in front of our house. An hour later and they were questioning witnesses about the Michigan hedge-clipper massacre. I am not saying it looked bad necessarily…but it may take a large amount of forward thinking vision to imagine what the shrubs may look like by next spring. But everyone agreed that it needed to be done. They just see this as the “ugly” stage in the process. I wonder if we see the “ugly” stuff we go through in life as pruning as we look forward to what will be or just as “ugly” stuff.

John 15:1-2 says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful”. I have always understood (or at least I thought I did) the concept of God cutting off the branches that do not remain in Christ. But even the branches that remain in Christ he begins to hack away at as well. Pruning, by definition is not an easy word – cutting away that which is superfluous or unwanted. For those of you who have ever pruned fruit trees or rose bushes (or even ambitious shrubs in front of your house) you know that pruning always leaves a permanent mark on the plant. The plan never fully recovers from the pruning and yet Jesus is very clear here when he says that his Father prunes nay branch that remains in Him so that it might be more fruitful. We are permanently marked so that we might be more fruitful.

A couple of weeks or so ago, my wife and I were having a conversation about scars and tattoos and as to whether or not those might be carried with us into heaven. We both loved the idea that the scars that held significance to you would be a part of you forever (both of us understanding that we will one day see our Lord with nail prints in his hands and feet and a scar in His side). But as I think more about it, I think every scar that we receive in this life carries weight. If we have the ability to trust God with weaving our stories of misfortune and heartache into his tapestry of redemption, then every scar carries beauty. Scars that help us to identify with our fellow human…even if it is the scars of abuse or neglect…even if it is the scars of a lost child or loved one….even if it is the scar of a battle against and unholy disease…

We often see this stuff as “ugly” stuff, but maybe it could be “ugly pruning” instead and God can redeem even the most heinous atrocities in the human story. That is the beauty of grace.

I am still not sure that my shrubs will recover though.

Leave a comment | posted in journey, scars

May 18, 2011

change

By arpology

Change is hard. I was reminded of this by one of my colleagues today. But change is not only necessary, it is inevitable. The issue becomes…are we making the right change? How do we weigh in on our future and know which path to take? I always loved Robert’s Frost’ take, “I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference..” As people of faith, what does the other path look like? How do we discern “God’s will” for change in our lives and in the lives of those around us? And as a man of the cloth, how do I discern the ways in which I push and plead with the laity for change?

In the Wesleyan tradition we often measure our means for understanding God’s action in our lives through what we call the Wesleyan quadrilateral. We understand God and his encounters with our lives through Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience. The Triune God is revealed to us in Scripture. His actions have been communicated through church tradition for 2,000 years. He created us in His own image with the ability to reason and understand his Divine action in the world. And we ultimately believe that He is  relational God who encounters us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. By reconciling these four elements, we are able to discern God’s action in the life of the church and in the life of His people. Through weighing tradition and scripture together with our ability to reason and our experience with God, we are often able to discern the voice of God speaking change and transformation into our lives. And that is what it is ultimately all about. But it is not easy.

Fortunately the overarching guideline for Holiness doctrine is love. Without love change is not only difficult, it is fruitless.  “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” So we proceed with the spirit of love. Placing others needs above our own. So that change is not for self, but for others. And though it may be hard, in the end it will be worth it. Change is the road less traveled by, and it will make all the difference.

Leave a comment | posted in journey, love

May 2, 2011

the joy of the Lord

By arpology

Do you ever find yourself singing the songs you used to sing in Sunday School as a child? Oh, I am the only one. Well regardless, there is a song that often pops into my head (as if there weren’t enough stuff bumbling around in there) and it simply bounces along singing, “The Joy of the Lord is my strength.” It’s a fun little tune, but sometimes I find my strength failing and joy isn’t always a present reality and I just feel like I am a bit of a wet blanket to those around me and I wonder to myself, “Is this what a Christian is supposed to be like?” So being a bit of a Bible reader, I decided to figure out where this little ditty came from to see if I could make sense of my emotions in the wake of God’s joy being my strength.

In Nehemiah chapter eight we find the people of Israel encountering the words of God fresh and anew post-exile through Ezra reading them aloud. The people are so overwhelmed at the rediscovery of the words of God that they listened from daybreak to noon and their response was worship and weeping. But Ezra declared to the assembly that this was not a day for weeping, but rather a day for rejoicing. Take joy in the moment! God is overjoyed at what is happening here! Take choice food, wine and celebration to those who have none and celebrate what God has done! And the joy of the Lord becomes your strength!*

Wow! What a picture! God’s joy comes through our celebration of his faithfulness and provision within the community of His creatures! So maybe, I have to enact God’s joy in order for my strength to be renewed? God has been faithful in providing me with a family…so maybe I should be very celebratory of the time I get with them. God has given me the changes of the seasons and renews the face of the earth…so maybe I should go out an d enjoy the coming Spring and Summer!

So maybe I find God’s joy in walking in the rain, jumping in mud puddles, smelling flowers, stopping along the way, building sandcastles, watching the moon and stars come out, saying hello to everyone, going barefoot, going on adventures, acting silly, dancing, flying kites, laughing and crying for the health of it, wondering and wandering around, saying the magic words, asking lots of questions, riding bicycles, drawing and painting, seeing things differently, falling down and getting up again, talking with animals, looking at the sky, staying up late or climbing trees. Maybe the Joy of the Lord is found in being a Child of the King. May I never forget who I belong to and always trust my Father. And maybe when I don’t feel like it….hopefully someone will challenge me to a barefoot race!

* An Arp paraphrase of Nehemiah 8:1-10

Leave a comment | posted in fruits of the Spirit, journey

January 22, 2011

lot in life

By arpology

Recently I finished a book that was set in the Middle ages in Southern England. It immediately drew me in, because frankly, I am a nerd who loves historical fiction. But the degree of separation of characters was something that was truly fascinating. The main characters ranged from a pious and holy monk, to a base inhumane earl. There were knights, bishops, queens…this is starting to sound like a chess match. But one of the things I couldn’t get my mind away from revolved around each character’s placement in life and their resulting morality. It seemed like the upbringing of the characters set their course for virtue or vice without their choice. As the writer was not a Christian writer, I further pondered as to whether or not this is how the world thinks of virtue and vice in general. If you are born to good people, you will be good people…Or along the same line of thought, If you are born to Christians, then Christian; Muslims, then Muslim; Jews, then Jews…I could go on for a while.

It’s kind of scary to think about, but most people really believe that someone’s lot in life is set by the tradition and values they are born into. Is everyone really fated to follow in the footsteps set before them? I guess my real concern is that so often the path left before a large number of the people of this planet would lead them away from God instead of towards him. But that is what is so revolutionary about Christ breaking onto the scene…He calls us emphatically to break away from our lot in life and follow him. It doesn’t even make a difference if the path set before you is good or bad, because He has a new path for you. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26).

Jesus has greater things in store for you than the legacy you think you are bound to. And he can overcome any legacy whether it is vile or virtuous in order to make you into His disciple wholly. So maybe your lot in life only determines what happens until you stumble into the path of the Savior. Life after that will never be the same.

May we continue to direct people into His path that their lot in life might be redeemed.

4 comments | posted in grace, journey

December 8, 2010

a lot easier…or a lot more difficult

By arpology

We are extremely formulaic people. I don’t think we can really help it though. From the start we are kind of wired that way. As a baby, if we cry we get food. As a toddler, sometimes if we pitch a fit we get our way. If we get the right answer in school, then we get good marks. It even leaks it’s way into adulthood. If we do a good job at work, then we get paid and maybe even a raise. But sometimes it is quizzical to me how we apply these same standards to God and his workings with humanity. We apply our formulas to Him and expect Him to work by our standards when clearly He is not a man. I once heard a quote that unfortunately kind of rings true in the church, ‘God made man in His image, and man returned the favor.’ Now often this quote is used in an attempt to damage the theology of the church, but I rather think it can be used for healthy criticism.

We will never fully understand God. His very giving of His name hinted at that, “I will be what I will be.” – Exodus 3:14. And so I think we should be careful of breaking everything with God down to a formula and simply trust in his goodness. That is not always easy. What if I pray and it doesn’t get answered? What if I am faithful, but I am never blessed? I always loved C.S. Lewis take on this in reference to Aslan (the God-figure in his Chronicles of Narnia), ” ‘Then he isn’t safe?’ asked Lucy. ‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver. ‘Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you’.” You see, this faith journey isn’t safe and there are never any guarantees. I always tell my students that when we get there, I even think that heaven will be a lot easier…or a lot more difficult to get into than we thought. See Matthew 25: 31-46 for that deduction. And the hard part is that it isn’t a formula. But that’s the scandal of grace, and the not-so-safe adventure of following a God who is not like a man.

Leave a comment | posted in grace, journey

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