Good News

Christians are always talking about the Good News, and about preaching it and sharing it. But as with anything, eventually terms wear out and names start to become meaningless. The “Good News” may be a term that many of my readers are familiar with but one that has perhaps lost the excitement it once had. And it may be a term that many of my readers have never heard before. So I am attempting to reframe—What is the Good News? What is being celebrated? What is God telling us?

He is telling us that finally, finally, the work He began at the creation of the world can continue. Finally, the gap between us and Him can be closed. Finally, He can redeem us and we can be part of His plan to make the world as it should be.

There are many things in this world that we look at and think, “This isn’t the way things should be.” There are wars and famines and floods, people dying, old and young alike, children sick, families going hungry, people living without shelter. Our thoughts are true: This isn’t how the world should be.

But this is what we choose, unwittingly or otherwise. We choose our way instead of God’s, demand our right to do what we want. We decide that we want to go our own way and be responsible to ourselves alone. And we’ve walked away from God. But there’s this “Good News”. What’s changed?

Jesus lived and died. That is a historical fact, but Christians differ from the rest of the world because we believe He didn’t stay dead. What an amazing thought that is. For someone to die and come back to life? Impossible. But what if we were to accept that this is true? What does that mean?

Jesus defeated death.

The biggest thing that feels wrong and wasteful to us has been reversed.

“The wages of sin is death,” so says the Bible. We have all done wrong things and therefore, we all die. “But,” it continues, “the gift of God is eternal life.” Jesus did nothing wrong. But He chose to die and to use His purity to take on the sins of the world. He had no debt to pay, so His death paid for the debts of us all. And now we are the good news. We are redeemed to God. We are now a part of His work to redeem the world and make it the way it is supposed to be.

It isn’t an easy step to take, I admit, for He asks us to give up everything that we have taken. He asks us to submit once again to Him, to again do things the way that He wants and to again live our lives according to His plan.

But through this, even though we may not see it in this lifetime, we can see and live in the world God intended for us to live in, with things the way God intended for them to be.

Following Jesus is difficult. But there is joy and hope and renewal. Redemption is the process of remaking. Something old made new again, something broken made whole. He asks all, He gives all.

This truly is Good News.

Geek toys

Doesn’t this look like so much fun?

[via]

Melody Gardot

My latest (potentially useless) past-time is browsing music on iTunes. It generally only lasts a handful of minutes before I get bored and turn my attention to something more beneficial. But when I am there, I am looking for the unexpected. At a swing dance, I like the standard vintage tunes, etc, but I love it when the DJ pulls out something really unexpected, sometimes a totally unheard of artist, or perhaps one you are familiar with, but one you never would have thought of dancing to. I always enjoy those moments. So I’m looking for those songs. Fresh artists, not to replace the standards, but to enhance. I’ll start with a genre or perhaps an artist and I will begin looking through related songs and albums. And usually I’ll click through the “New and Noteworthy” section of Jazz music on iTunes. Oftentimes the search is fruitless.  But sometimes I stumble across someone I really like, enough that I am willing to purchase a whole album.

I’ve never heard of Melody Gardot. Google tells me this is silly, as she has a website, several albums and a tour. iTunes assures me that this is okay by putting her in the “New and Noteworthy” section, so I’m not too concerned.

What I have learned is that she is a peer (twentysomething). She has four albums. And her voice is gorgeous. Incredibly smooth. Here is a MySpace link (gasp!) to some of her music. I wouldn’t say purchase the album solely on my recommendation but it is certainly worth checking out. I’m definitely enjoying it.

Yum!

Tantalizing, no?

Buffalo Chicken Fingers

Cut 2ish chicken breasts into strips; coat in crumb mixture (1 cup crushed soda crackers, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper); dip in eggs (beaten); coat again in crumb mixture; fry in 1/4 cup oil for 4 mins (flip halfway); remove to baking sheet; bake for 10 mins at 450º F; remove to platter; drizzle in sauce (2 tbsp melted butter, 6 tbsp hot pepper or buffalo wing sauce); eat delicious food.

Yum!

unChristian

I am currently reading a book entitled unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity… and Why it Matters by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons.

It is a book that has me heartbroken and compassionate and angry and inspired all at the same time. This book is the culmination of a research project commissioned by Lyons, founder of Fermi Project, and headed up by Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group, a research firm “focused on the intersection of faith and culture”.

This research was begun to determine how our generation (twentysomethings and those several years older and several years younger) currently perceives Christianity.

I am only through the first two chapters and already I see a perception that is not far off from what I had come to assume, one that shows that Christianity has gone off track.

There is an old song that goes, “They will know we are Christians by our love”. That should be convicting to the Church today, because, according to this research, the Church and Christians — we — are not being known for love, either of each other, or of those outside of the faith.

The entire New Testament is based on two principles: Truth soaked in Love. Everything that Jesus did was motivated by these principles and in everything the early Church did, they strived to likewise live these out. Somewhere in recent Church history, we lost the element of Love and began focusing primarily, almost solely, on Truth. And now today, there is a movement of Christianity that, in an attempt to rectify past wrongs, focuses primarily on Love, fearing to bring Truth to light.

I had long believed that we were perceived negatively and it is heartbreaking to read the truth of it on paper. It isn’t even the negative perception I struggle with. There will always be people who disagree with what I believe. It is why we are perceived negatively. It seems to be often because of hurt.

Christians aren’t perfect. We make mistakes. But we also struggle to admit when we are wrong. We struggle to accept people as they are. I don’t think it’s just a Christian thing. It’s a people thing. But a Christian is a Christ-follower, and based on that title, our model of how to live is Jesus Christ. He accepted people exactly as they were. He called a tax collector (considered the scourge of that society) to be in his closest circle of followers. He accepted the sacrifice of a “woman who had lived a sinful life” (here). He was present when a woman caught in the act of adultery was dragged into the street to be stoned and he released her. He convicted those wishing to stone her such that they all finally walked away without a single stone being thrown. And then, as if he didn’t know exactly what had happened, he turned to the woman and asked, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she responded.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” he said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
(here)

What a man! What a God!

And what a mess we have made of portraying Him to the world around us.

Regardless of faith, it is an interesting book thus far and I’m finding it to be a good read. I may or may not post more as I progress through the book, but for those interested, the upcoming chapters cover the following perceptions people have of Christians:

Hypocritical;
Only interested in “getting you saved!”;
Antihomosexual;
Sheltered;
Too political; and
Judgmental

I will, at the very least, post when I am finished, in case anyone is interested in reading it.

Ask the Experts

So I know that I have a lot of Med, Nursing, Biology, Health, Kinesiology, etc. students who read this blog, and I have a question for you:

What effect does sugar and/or chocolate have on mood? I have the vaguest layman’s idea of it, but I’m curious about the technical, chemical process, and/or studies that have been done, and/or controversies about it . Please still weigh in, even if someone’s said it before. I want to hear all of your opinions and learning!

And don’t tell me to Google it (you tech-savvy bunch!). I want to hear what you have to say

Wanna dance?

This is how I spent my reading week. More or less

Faithfulness

I had a conversation several nights ago about something that has come up many times in the past. Divorce is a tricky issue. I’m not writing about that specifically, but it has led me on to another series of thoughts.

In Matthew 5:31-32, Jesus says,

It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.”

I find it interesting that Jesus doesn’t go on to specify what marital unfaithfulness is. But I think the definition of marital unfaithfulness has probably changed so much across culture and time. Back then, physical faithfulness would have been strictly maintained. Now, marrieds give away hugs, touches, dances, even occasionally kisses, but can still be considered maritally faithful. I think in our society today, there is a greater feeling of betrayal when it comes to emotional unfaithfulness.

But I think marital faithfulness is all-encompassing: physical, emotional, mental, verbal. Every way — every way — in which a couple interacts requires faithfulness to the other and faithfulness to the vows that were taken (i.e., to love, honour and protect). Is a woman being faithful, for example, when she belittles her husband in front of others or vice versa? There’s a difference between belittlement and teasing, make no mistake. Teasing is gently done and done in such a way so that husband and wife are (and know they are) on the same side and is quickly amended and repented of when either side feels wounded. Belittling, on the other hand, is when one party presents the other as insignificant, silly, ridiculous, foolish, detestable, et cetera, either directly to that person, or in front of others, with or without the presence of the person in question.

It is worth feeling convicted about this. Marriage is the single most powerful relationship a person can experience, outside of their relationship with God. You are never more vulnerable with another person than you are in the context of that relationship. Pretending for a moment that the audience I am addressing all believe as I do, in a marriage relationship, that person is the only one who will ever see you completely naked, physically and emotionally. Stripped of your masks, flaws and insecurities laid bare, you are trusting that the other person will embrace you and build you up, that they will encourage and love and be enthusiastic for you and the things you love and will be your trusted companion in working on those things you wish could be better about yourself. This requires truth and honesty from both partners, and more, faithfulness.

What I am trying to suggest is that marital unfaithfulness is not just the big, “I cheated” things. It is also the little digs at each other, chipping away at respect, jumping too easily to offense, carrying a joke too far, etc. Part of the vow of marriage is to protect. While it is protection of each other from the ways of the world, it is more than that. Your spouse or significant other wears armour when facing the world. They do not wear armour when facing you. Do you take advantage of their vulnerability in that circumstance? Or do you protect them? Are you being faithful to the partner you chose in the little things as well as the big?

part ii

(part i)

A bell rang from the house, but while her obedience was captured, her attention was not.

She stood and brushed at the grass clinging to her jeans and tangled in her hair. She took one more long survey of the land surrounding her and was just about to turn to go in when something caught her eye. A bright light was flashing from the river. The bell rang again just as the wind swept up behind her. It hurried her forward, towards the river. But then she stopped and looked back at the house. She couldn’t go. Not yet.

She turned and walked to the house.

Even though she told herself in the course of the passing days that she wasn’t curious, still her thoughts were tied to the land: the flat, wide-open space to the west and the lush and lazy growth to the east. The river drew her, and she found herself out in the field, gazing to the east as the days fled away. The bright light from the river had not appeared again.

She didn’t know how long, but it must have been weeks later. The air had turned cooler, but still she was outside in the late afternoon, watching the sun and drinking in the land. The bell had rung and she was just turning to go inside when she suddenly saw it again: the blinking light on the river.

She shielded her eyes and tried to make out what it was, but to no avail. The river was too far away. Again the bell. The conflict in her mind was great, but this time, brief. She knew nothing, not why she was drawn, not what she would find there, nothing. But she knew this: she was compelled to go. And so, she gave one parting glance to the house, and then took her first of many steps toward the river.

Great quote

from Steph at sugerbuzz