Loss of a dear friend

This past week has been relatively normal. Work, coffee with friends, hanging out with the wifey, etc. Today broke that status quo.

If you've known me for a while then no doubt you have met my good friend Murphy. Murphy is my dog. When I was seven years old I begged and begged and begged my parents to let me have a dog. Something in me wanted that companionship badly. So after a significant amount of pleading, they relented and one Saturday in 1994 my dad took my sister and I to the humane society to see what kind of dogs they had for adoption. I went down the aisle glancing in the cages at all the different dogs, just about all of them were mixed breeds. The further down the aisle I got the more I lost hope that I was going to leave there with the friend I had set out to find.

Then I came to one of the last occupied kennels.

Inside of it was a small dog, that looked like a miniature sable golden retriever. He sat there, with a happy grin on his face as he watched me through the chain link fence returning his stare. I called my dad and sister over to me and pointed to him, "Him". I told my dad. Within a half hour we were walking out the door with him on a leash. The employees at the humane society had guessed that he was about six months old when we took him, though later the vet speculated he was older—probably 1-2 years at the time we brought him home. We brought him home and I set him onto the floor just inside the door and he bolted down the hall way to my parents bedroom where my mom was reading in bed. He leapt up onto the bed and greeted her with excitement.

After a short while I decided to name him Murphy. Over the years he became engrained into our family life. The first trip we took him on was down to my grandparents house in the bay area, he rode between my sister and I in my parents tiny little two-door Nissan and he behaved perfectly. Didn't make a fuss, didn't bark, when we stopped at a rest stop on I-5 we let him used the bathroom and that was the only time he did on the whole trip down. Since then he's been on several trips with us, short and long. No matter where we're going, if he stayed at home you could expect an ecstatic greeting from him when we returned. He would hear the garage door opening from the backyard and begin to go wild, barking and yelping until someone let him inside, at which point he'd sprint around the house and then stop on a dime in front of someone's feet and roll onto his back expecting a good stomach rub as compensation for his neglect.

Throughout the years he's been alongside me for a great many adventures. He's seen me at all my life stages up until this point since I was in first grade. Graduation. Starting college. Marriage. The list goes on. I hear everyone say that we can all learn something about loyalty from our dogs. I think that's true, sure, but I think there's quite a few other lessons we can learn as well. When I would watch Murphy in his later years trot around the backyard, I saw how content he was. He didn't have much, but being a rescue dog, that was more than good enough for him. We loved him, he loved us, we took good care of each other and we had fun together.

So here's to my friend, Murphy. If you met him I sincerely think your life is better for it, if not, well you will someday, I imagine. He was a great dog, and an even better friend with whom I couldn't have been happier to share the last 17 years of my life with.

Here's to you Murph.

Perk-o-lating

This week at church we were exploring the importance of community, and investing in whichever community you're a part of. I'm really glad we went there because I've observed a growing trend of people going off the beaten path as lone wolves with the mindset that they can pursue God better without being tangible connected to the greater body of Christ. That somehow logging on to a few "Christian" websites here and there counts as fellowship.

Talk about an illusion.

Jesus didn't come to create a religion of monks. Yes, some are called to forms of solitude but it's never out of an attitude of bitterness, anger or hurt; but out of a desire to surrender ones will absolutely to the extent that they want it to be reflected in their lifestyle. There are things we can glean from such an expression, but not all of us need to go to such lengths.

I like to go to a local coffee shop and people watch. It has to be the best place to get coffee in Chico, and over the years I've noticed an increase in it's popularity amongst church-goers. Pastors from all different churches regularly meet at this place for various reasons. I love it.

I think their togetherness is a small picture of a greater reality: these men, from different traditions within the Christian faith are all joining together because regardless of their differing opinions on some doctrine, they love each other and they recognize the importance of community within all of us that claim to be Jesus followers.

For those that we know whom are part of the larger body of Christ but perhaps are neglecting the community of believers that's right in front of them by isolating themselves, we should take it upon ourselves to bring them into the fold. At least invite them to be a part of our own respective communities. In the end, the decision is theirs whether or not they want to be involved—but at the very least an effort should be made to incorporate them into our communities.

I respect the position of some of our church leaders who express that whether or not their church is the one that's joined by the believers in question, that doesn't matter. What matters is that they connect with the community somewhere. I think that's excellent, the point is community. Not who's community, just the community. Period.

So next time you're sipping that blended mocha consider this: you were made to be a part of something big. And you were not made to walk your faith out alone.

Rise of the photo bläg

Well, I did it.

I finally sold my video equipment and sprung for a digital SLR. Now I have the best of both worlds: a camera that shoots photography and video equally well, so now I can exercise both passions.

And thus, this post inaugurates the launch of my photo bläg. My aim is to continue to write on subjects that I find compelling but now with an accompanying photo or two that's hopefully related in some way. So I invite you to continue along with me on this journey to ponder, laugh and maybe even cry a little. Who knows.

Feedback is always great too, I'm interested to hear my readers thoughts in regards to what I'm posting.



Cheers!

Resurrection Party!

I've been thinking about the idea of resurrection, specifically Christ's and how it's observed and celebrated in our culture. Our approach to it all seems kind of lackluster at best. I take note of the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and thus many evangelical traditions in America modeling themselves after the E.O. church. They spend the entire week (known as "Holy Week") celebrating, preparing, acknowledging and observing the resurrection. Yes, they acknowledge Christ's death on the cross, but it's not the point. It seems like far too many churches spend more time thinking about how Christ died while neglecting the far bigger implications that he's risen.

For me, I want to celebrate it. And I mean really celebrate it. I want to have a feast with everybody I know, and maybe even people I don't. Go old school and roast some lamb, gather every body together Big Fat Greek Wedding style and celebrate the fact that Christ lives today and his act dying AND being raised from death is being seen in our midst even today. Creation is being rescued from itself and the fragmented, broken reality that it existed in prior to the resurrection. People, trees, rocks, dirt clods, oceans, skies, small poodles toted in handbags, everything and everyone is being redeemed. Restoration is underway and it's occurring on a cosmic scale.

It's still continuing today though, and it continues because everyone that follows Jesus has an opportunity to take part in the redemption of creation.

Whoa... what?!

Yep. We do.

In my book, living the way of Jesus means an entire paradigm shift in one's worldview (especially for western individuals like myself). Living like Jesus means going against our human nature of thinking inwardly, and living out a life of putting others first, especially those Christ deemed the "least of these".

We have a role to play in the ongoing rescue effort that Christ started when he was resurrected and that involves putting things to rights. Seeking justice and liberation for those that have been violated and oppressed, looking after the orphans and the widows, meeting the needs of the poor, hungry and sick as well as being good stewards of the Earth that the Lord's put us in charge of.

May it become rooted deep in your existence that there's something to be done, that Christianity is not a passive lifestyle that watches the world pass by. May you be compelled to step outside of your comfort zone and into the world of someone else who needs our help. May you desire to harmonize with the restoration of all things being played out all around you. May you see more every day, how to truly live like Jesus.

A review of Love Wins.

My full review of Rob Bell’s newest book titled: “Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived.”

I ordered this book as soon as I could, partially because I’m an avid fan of Rob Bell and partially because I knew that behind all the controversy, lie a significant amount of proof-texting, bigotry and bias on the part of the accusers. Therefore I was eager to dive in and discover for myself whether all these accusations being slung at Bell were in any way accurate—I think that I did a remarkably good job at approaching the book objectively, considering how much I’ve always enjoyed Bell’s teachings, I was ready to lay the book down if I thought that he was advocating any of the heresies that people were implying.

So the book arrived and I chomped away at Love Wins, given Bell’s literary style, it’s an easy read.

He often writes books
Like this.
Some people say it’s annoying
But I think they’re grasping at straws
For something to gripe about with
A more knowledgeable scholar than
Themselves.

Anyway, the thesis of Love Wins is posing the question: Is God really going relegate billions of people (those that have lived and died, those who are alive now and those who have yet to live) to an eternal fate of torment in hell? A valid question if I do say so myself, and one that most preachers save for your staunchly legalistic baptist minister would prefer to avoid—granted, said baptist minister would integrate a heaping portion of condemnation and angry and hateful language into his spin on hell.

The book actually touches on a few different subjects, the first being the reality of heaven, the second being the reality of hell and the third regards our ultimate destination. When Bell discusses heaven, he advocates the largely orthodox understanding of heaven that it’s a reality that exists here (in our presence). It’s not a far-off location that we’ll one day abandon Earth for to go float around and play a harp. Rather, it’s essentially another reality of space-time separated from our own by a veil. Bell continues by saying that having an understanding of heaven in such a way is part of a very holistic and crucial understanding of God’s overall plan. In a nutshell, when Christ rose from the dead, his resurrection inaugurated something huge. It started the wheels turning, so to speak, on the introduction of The New Creation. It began with Christ’s resurrection and it’s in progress now. Meaning that we, as followers of Jesus, have an active role to play in the unfolding of New Creation right here in the midst of the old one. Bell echoes much of theologian N.T. Wright’s thoughts on heaven (see Surprised By Hope by N.T. Wright), Wright (and by extension Bell) explain that The New Creation is going to be “putting things to rights”, reestablishing creation as it was meant to be. That means injustices, greed, rape, dishonesty, human trafficking, arrogance, pride, etc.—none of those traits will exist within new creation, therefore when we actively seek to do away with those things in our every day lives and in our interactions with those around us then we’re playing our part to bring forth The New Creation from out of the old one. So when we see non-profit volunteers devoting all of their time and resources into digging water wells in developing countries so that it’s inhabitants can have the basic need of clean water, we’re witnessing The New Creation bursting through the old one. When we witness someone taking a homeless person to lunch and offering them some help, we’re witnessing God’s plan for creation coming to fruition. This is exactly why Christ taught us to pray “The Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Many times in Scripture God and Heaven were interchangeable (Bell describes that in the Jewish tradition, saying the name of God was so sacred and holy that often times the religious figures sought ways to avoid saying it and substituted it with synonyms like “heaven”, so we have phrases that are interchangeable like “kingdom of God” or “kingdom of Heaven”). So praying for God’s will to be on Earth as it already is in Heaven is extremely profound. We’re asking God to continue making this place exactly the way it is in Heaven. To sift out the oppression, the greed, the hatred, anger and injustices that plague the Earth and to replace them with liberation, generosity, love and justice—all elements of The New Creation, which is ultimately the marriage of the New Heaven and the New Earth as one entity.

Now conversely, when we talk about hell Bell contends that it’s just as easy, or perhaps even easier, to bring hell on earth as it is to bring heaven on earth. When we’re defying God’s will, when we’re “choosing our version of the story instead of God’s” as Bell puts it, then we’re disrupting a harmony that would otherwise be seeking to bring forth heaven on earth. An example would be enforcers of human trafficking, these individuals abduct human beings by a variety of means and trade them around the globe as if they’re a commodity. Young boys and girls are sold into prostitution, young boys are often sent into rebel army’s to be child soldiers, slave labor—you name it. The individuals out in the world that have an active role in upholding human trafficking also have an active role in bringing hell on earth. They’re serving something that is an embodiment of injustice, oppression, greed, lust and hatred. The same can be said about a number of other atrocities.

Now the most controversial topic of Bell’s book is the discussion about our final destination after death. Heaven or hell? Eternity with God in bliss or eternity apart from Him in torment? It’s always been very black and white in American Christianity, but then again American Christianity needs a lot of work done to it.

Bell refers to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus multiple times in his discussion of hell. Rightfully so, being that the parable is an ideal picture to paint when explaining heaven and hell. In life, the rich man imposed a social hierarchy, he regularly ignored Lazarus at the gate of his home who was begging for food to survive. Eventually they both died and as it says in Scripture, the rich man went to hell while Lazarus wen to “Abraham’s side” (or “Abrahams bosom” in some translations). The rich man then pleas with Abraham to have Lazarus bring him a drink of water to cool his tongue, and then subsequently begs Abraham to have Lazarus warn his family about what awaits them. Both requests are denied by Abraham. Why? Because the rich man’s heart is unchanged. Bell contends that the great chasm described in the Scriptures between the rich man and Lazarus and Abraham isn’t a physical gap but rather it’s the rich mans heart. Even in death, the rich man is perpetuating the same social hierarchy, viewing himself as superior to Lazarus and thus he expects Abraham to have Lazarus serve him. It is this unchanged heart that causes the rich man to remain in hell. "The gates of hell are locked from the inside" —C.S. Lewis.

Bell argues that those that have died and gone to hell, or will, still have a chance. One of the chapters is titled “Does God Get What God Wants?” He argues that God’s love is so expansive and His goal was for the salvation of everybody. Yet, if people are still going to hell then Christ’s death and resurrection fundamentally failed. He died so all will be saved, yet according to some, that’s not going to happen. So what he builds on is that even in death, and in hell, a person can be broken and repentant to the point where their heart turns to Jesus and is saved. They can spend a [figurative] eternity in hell, yet when they finally choose God’s version of their story over their own—Bell’s poetic way of saying that the person finally gives up everything they’re holding on to, they hit rock bottom and completely surrender to Jesus, then that’s when they’ll be welcomed to be with Christ.

I find this exegesis to be extraordinarily compelling, refreshing and in my heart of hearts I believe it to be true of who God really is.

And that’s what the bottom line is right? When we read apologetics, theological texts and the Scriptures themselves, we’re ultimately seeking out more and more of who God really is.

I think for his part, Bell is doing great with that.

Charity: Water

I've already blogged once about this organization, but I've been inspired and want to do it again. Hey, it's my blog and I can do what I want.

I was browsing the media section of Charity: Water's website, (if you know me, I'm an amateur filmmaker and enjoy watching compelling pieces regardless of their purpose). There was one particular video featuring the founder of the non-profit, his name is Scott Harrison. If you haven't heard about him or his organization I highly recommend that you spend some time educating yourself on what he's doing because it is entirely worth it.

In a nutshell, Harrison was an event promoter of sorts in New York City, his entire life revolved around throwing big bashes for the who's who, whether they were pop culture celebrities, politicians or athletes. His job was making events happened. Because he was so good at what he did, he received a slew of endorsements from all sorts of big name brands such as Budweiser and Rolex. Eventually he came to a place where he recognized the emptiness he felt about his place and life and set out to join Mercy Ships for a season. It was there that he learned of the dire need for clean water worldwide and he committed himself to a mission of meeting that need.

So here's where my inspiration came from: on the video I viewed (which I'm embedding in this post), Harrison retold the story of when Charity: Water began, that it started with a birthday celebration at which he requested that anybody who was intending to bring a gift would instead donate $20 towards a goal of bringing clean water to those that need it. Over 700 people raised enough money to supply over 50,000 people with clean drinking water in Uganda. Now, if you know me you know that I got to go there about five years ago, so Uganda's very close to my heart. So immediately upon seeing this video I felt compelled to follow suit with Harrison.

My birthday is coming up in April 21. Now I haven't made plans for any sort of bash and I definitely don't know as many people as Harrison does, but I think it's fair enough to ask that for my birthday in 17 days if you would consider donating $24 to Charity: Water.

They're dreaming big.

In the video Harrison states that they're not going to stop until everybody on Earth has clean water. That's an excellent goal, and I fully believe it's achievable.

So here I am, inviting my friends, family, readers and passers by to join me on a journey of doing what we can to lend aid to those that need it. Clean water is one of the most basic needs I can think of and over a billion people on this planet are without it. Can you imagine that?

If you're concerned about how much of our donations actually go to the project, fear not, the endorsers from Harrisons "former life" have endorsed the non-profit so the funding to run the project comes from them, therefore 100% of our donations go directly to funding the water projects.

Let's dream big too.

Charity: Water September Campaign Video:

http://vimeo.com/charitywater/thestoryofcharitywater

Unwarranted Controversy?

I received my copy of Rob Bell's newest book titled Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell And The Fate Of Every Person Who Ever Lived on Wednesday, March 23 and finished reading it on the evening of Friday, March 25. I have to say it's an extremely compelling book challenging the long-held traditional view of heaven and hell by western, and more so American, Christianity. The last 235 years of this country has seen some incredible warping of the gospel message, effectively reducing the gospel down to "Jesus rescues us from a God who's eager to exact punishment on fallen man."

There are a few different points discussed and I think they're all excellently argued, supported by Scripture, that makeup Love Wins. He also notes in the preface that the thoughts conveyed in his book aren't necessarily original, that they are theological interpretations that have existed since the apostles and the early church fathers, therefore he argues that they are true orthodox interpretations of scripture.

+ First, he argues that heaven isn't somewhere else in the deep recesses of outer space like so many believe. Rather, heaven is here. He echoes N.T. Wright and theologians before him when he argues that heaven essentially occupies another reality from our own at the present, and it's right here. This is why Christ taught us the Lords prayer which contains the line "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven." There are implications behind this prayer that are far greater than American's are typically taught to understand.

+ Second, he argues that because Heaven's reality is here and that essentially Heaven and Earth are on a collision course with each other as the New Creation continues to emerge, that instead of sitting on our hands and awaiting for signs and wonders to occur, we have an active role to play in the present. He's saying the future is now. What Christ started at his resurrection is continuing on through today. What he started is the redemption, the restoration of the whole of creation, the entire cosmos. Not just human beings, not just a select few, but of everything from the sub-atomic to the cosmic scale. Much like my exhortations in blogs past, Bell contends that our roles in bringing forth the New Creation look like seeking to liberate and bring justice to the oppressed, feeding the hungry, and being generally loving, compassionate and generous.

+ Thirdly, and most controversially, he argues that God's love trumps all of our preconceived notions of what hell is and the doctrines that have been built around those notions. In a provocative video released prior to the book entering the market (and coincidentally in one of the opening chapters of the book) he tells a story about an art show they held at his church recently. He goes on to describe that one of the most compelling pieces of art work was a painting of Mahatma Gandhi. At some point during the art show, someone decided that it was their responsibility to inform people about Gandhi's present whereabouts by tacking to the painting a note that said:

Reality check: he's in hell.

In both the video and the book, Bell immediately challenges that thought. "Really, he is? We're sure about this." That in and of itself is an argument that's desperately lacking in American Christianity. The argument that we don't know who is, and who isn't in hell. We can debate until we're blue in the face but when we die I can guarantee that we're going to be surprised by some of the individuals that we're surrounded with.

So he continues down this line of thinking, utilizing parables such as the story from Luke 16 about the rich man and Lazarus.

The two main arguments he has in his challenge against the traditional concept of hell is that;

+ Hell, just like Heaven, can be all around us depending on whether or not we choose to support actions that align with the life of Christ. At the same time, those in the receiving end of those same actions are subjected to the same hell (e.g. victims of human trafficking, rape, financial schemes, etc.).

+ Those that pass away and end up in hell remain there because they continue to refuse God's invitation of love. In the instance of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man was a man who perpetuated the status quo in his life, maintaining a social hierarchy where he believed Lazarus unequal and beneath him. As a result, he continuously ignored Lazarus' pleas for help. In death, Lazarus arrives at Abraham's side and the rich man is in hell, he begs Abraham to have Lazarus give him a drink of water and then to warn his family of what awaits them. Abraham denies both requests. Bell then notes that the great chasm described in the parable between where the rich man is and where Lazarus is, is the rich mans heart. That he refuses to repent (change his way of thinking) and even in death he views Lazarus as beneath him and desires for Lazarus to serve him.

So, those that die and end up in hell remain there out of their choosing. Bell states that "God gives is a generous God and we can have all the hell we want".

So Bell's presenting a very orthodox and historic view of life after death (or as Wright puts it: life, after life, after death). I find it extraordinarily compelling and exciting. The conversation has literally existed for thousands of years since the birth of the church and will continue on into the future until Christ returns and the dead are resurrected. The overall message is, that unlike the futuristic, dispensationalist interpretation of the resurrection, heaven and the future of creation; we have an active role to play in bringing God's Kingdom here to Earth as it already is in Heaven, and it's done through the multitude of ways that we implement God's love.

Finally, I've had a few discussions with various people that felt some measure of confusion surrounding Bell's latest book (though I maintain the confusion isn't actually from him or the book, but from the critics who's mission is to muddy messages such as this).

I downloaded Mars Hill's latest podcast from March 27th, and listened as before the message itself was underway, Rob "introduced" himself with the following:

Opening to March 27th Mars Hill podcast (transcript)



Rob: My name is Rob and I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I am a Christian. And I believe in Jesus and I believe Jesus is the way, and I believe in heaven and I believe in hell and I believe the Bible’s God’s Word, and I’m not a universalist because I believe that God’s love is so great God lets you decide. I believe in the communion of the saints, I believe the church of the fullness, I believe in the New Heaven and the New Earth. I believe in healing, I believe in miracles, I believe in salvation, I believe in the power of prayer that God is alive and working. I believe there has been a resurrection and there is a whole new creation bursting forth right here in the midst of this one, and I also believe it’s best to discuss books you’ve actually read.



(massive applause).

Rob: I can keep going, did you stop me?

Unknown man: Do you believe the Lions will win eight games next year?

Rob: I said... I’m a Christian, not a dreamer.

So I think that ends any confusion, and stifles any possible accusations of universalism and further criticisms of his book (at least until the critic in question has actually read it, I hope).

So having read this review, may you be compelled to take an active role in the new creation being brought forth right now. May you see that there is beauty in the world that is to be celebrated. May you see that your voice can be a voice for love, liberation, justice, compassion and generosity that reshapes this entire reality. And, as Bell concludes in his book, may you see that Love Wins.