Double Standard

While I was at drop in over the weekend I found myself a number of times saying "Hey don't use that word please" or "Hey, you know that you can't use that language here" more than once the response was "That's not a swear word" or "I use that word at home".

The most prominent double standard that most teens deal with is the one where the rules that are put in place to guide their lives are not modeled by the adults in their life, leaving them questioning why adults can do things they can't . . . for the most part I think double standards are dangerous. In some cases adulthood does make the difference but If you don't want your child to use certain language, you using it probably isn't the best example.

But I think a new double standard has surfaced, Where schools, youth centers, organizations (extra curricular activities) etc. used to be working with parents, they are now enforcing rules that aren't enforced at home. They are actually working against each other. I am not saying this is true of every home at all. But it seems to be an increasing reality in the lives of teens I see on a regular basis. We think we are enforcing normal rules "don't swear", "be respectful", "don't sleep around", when really we are introducing a whole new set of rules into the lives of these teens, and they don't get it, they don't see why we would ask these things of them.

It drives me a bit crazy . . . (yes I know I don't have kids so I'm not trying to tell anyone how to parent, but I do spend a lot of time with them so I think my opinion is valid) But I just wonder when good common courtesy and respect stopped being a home enforced rule. And what are we supposed to do with that when we interact with teens . . . follow suit?

In view of God's Mercy . . .

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is true worship." Rom. 12:1

This verse has been important to me for a long time, it has been a guiding verse of the last few years of my life, a reminder of the life I should be living. but this time when I read it 2 very significant things stood out at me.

1. "Therefore" - so I can't look at this verse or this passage or this chapter and forget about all the stuff before it . . . this verse, passage, chapter hangs on and works because of what came before it. Therefore, because of all that stuff, because of everything that just blew your mind (read that post here), because it all works together, therefore . . .

2. "In view of God's Mercy" - the part that always used to impact me (and still does) was the part where I was supposed to be a "living sacrifice" but somehow I failed to really compute the "in view of God's mercy" part. For 11 chapters Paul clearly laid out what God's Mercy is what he is all about how we are justified by faith (3:28; 4:16) how we have gained access to grace (5:2) through his son (5:10) he spells it out beautifully and then he says "therefore" - "In view of God's Mercy". This verse would be totally different if those two phrases were absent, it would then be all about us, it would become a work effort to win our way into heaven. But it's not.

Where we expect to hear "Offer yourself to me as a living sacrifice, work hard for my acceptance, clean yourself up and then I'll see if I can love you" we don't, instead we hear the upside down Gospel that says because you are already made acceptable, because I have already given you grace and because what it takes is faith because of this mercy that God has had on you Because my Son made the way . . . Therefore offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.

To me this is the most beautiful of things, too incredible to truly fathom but it is a Grace and a Mercy that I am daily thankful for. And it is this Grace and Mercy that I pray the Youth of Ponoka will recognize.

2011 in Review

I married my best friend: life changed forever and I still love it!
I moved out of my "home": Now supper rarely finds it's way to the table unless I am involved in it, and a bunch of men's clothing has made it's way into my laundry hamper . . . apparently this is "adulthood" :)
I almost lost my Grandpa: I was reminded very quickly that the moments we have with those we love are precious and irreplaceable.
I witnessed the life changing power of Christ as a young man gave his life over to Him: Wow . . . seriously Wow!
A dearly loved community member passed away: The finality of death struck me in a different way and the promises of eternal life in Christ defined "hope"

My Grandpa came out of the hospital: I cannot explain in words the gift this is
We bought a house: exciting and scary are both words that could be used here

That is a VERY brief snapshot of what will define 2011 in my mind. In between those events there were a hundred and one moments that shaped and defined me. What I love about those moments is that the hand of God is evident in each of them, even in the painful ones where he reminds me that it is his strength that will carry me through. I hope that as you reflect on 2011 you, as well, will see the Hand of God and the Love of Christ.

Romans is blowing my mind

Right now the book of Romans is blowing my mind! Ive decided to read one Psalm and one chapter of Romans every day. I read the chapter of Romans from 3 different translations (NLT, TNIV and THE MESSAGE) this is giving me a unique perspective and ability to glean from it. And seriously I'm not exaggerating it's blowing my mind.

The crazy thing is the part that is so enthralling to me, so crazy to me, is not new information . . . it's something I would have claimed to know all along. What is it you ask? Faith. I'm only in chapter 4 and the theme of faith is so obvious and clear and in your face that I can't believe I haven't seen it this way before. 3 verses that are revolutionizing my world right now as we speak.

Romans 3:20 (NLT)
For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Romans 3:28 (TNIV)
For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Romans 4:16 (THE MESSAGE)
This is why the fulfillment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does . . .

Wow, that's what I wrote in my bible WOW! How do we miss that? What do we do with that, how does that change us? It's changing me, His word is living, active and sharp and it's changing me. I prayed today that God would bring Faith to the youth of Ponoka, that they would recognize that God is there, his Son died and rose again, his Holy Spirit will lead them and that because of that they will start their journey of Faith. Join me, if you will, in that prayer . . . one of the greatest things missing in their lives is faith and faith would change everything for them. Faith would change everything for all of us if we learned to walk in it as we should.

Christians . . . the telemarketers of Religion?

At Bible study on Wednesday one of the young men in attendance made a comment that I found . . . intriguing. We were discussing why, as Christians, we can so easily turn people off. Why it is that their high school life is plagued with the reality that their friends look at them sideways when they mention that they are headed to Bible study or youth group. This young man's response . . . "It is because we are the telemarketers of the world, people hear us mention it, and they want to hang up." Interesting . . .

For a while we talked about where that mindset came from, What it meant for us as Christians and if it was possible to change it. I was encouraged by their view on it. But the comment still left me thinking. I don't have too much more to say on the topic really, it's just something I have been thinking about since he said it. Is that really how the world views us? and who do I need to be so that I am different? That's the goal right that we would be different but in an appealing, want to know about it kind of way.

In some ways it was a profound thought to me . . . in some ways a depressing one and in lots of ways one that made me want to be different, different from the world and different form the Christian Stereotype the world has. Again, it was just something that made me think. I thought I'd share it with you.

Standing in the breach

I was reading in Psalm 106 today and verse 23 stood out to me. The psalm recounts the history of the Israelites. It highlights some of their sins against the Lord, rebelling against him, giving in to their cravings and not waiting on Him, being envious, exchanging God for the image of a bull, despising the land they had been given . . . the list goes on. The incredible thing to me was how God in his unending love continued to care for them, continued to offer them mercy and forgiveness, it is truly a psalm which highlights His long-suffering. But now verse 23 -

21 They forgot the God who saved them, who had done 

great things in Egypt, 22 miracles in the land of Ham and 

awesome deeds by the Red Sea. 23 So he said he would 

destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach 

before him to keep his wrath from destroying them. 

It made me think of all the people who must have been "standing in the breach" for me during some of the darkest times of my life. People I know who were praying for me, coming before God on my behalf, pleading with him for my sake. The reality is I probably do not know all the names on that list, all the people who were lifting me up before God in prayer. But I know their prayers worked, I know God heard them and had mercy on me and turned my heart to Him once again. I am astounded every time I think of how God was working through others in my life. 

After reading that psalm and reflecting on that reality in my own life I prayed. I prayed for the youth I work with, for the youth of Ponoka and the surrounding area, I prayed for them by name and circumstance. I want to stand in the breach for these kids, and what is being revealed to me is that the only way I can stand in the breach is if I get on my knees in prayer. Please join with me, please pray for the youth of Ponoka, and please believe that your prayers on their behalf make a significant difference in their lives. 

heavenword . . . which way is that?

Philippians 3:7-14 is one of my favorite Bible passages, and as I was thinking about it this past week a new thought hit me. I'll be honest, it's a fairly elementary thought, one which maybe I should have had a long time ago, but something hit me in a new way. This whole passage is about "leaving your past behind you and moving toward the future which God has called you to" it talks about "pressing on," being "called," "attaining to" "arriving". Well the reality is you don't arrive without departing and you can't press on if your not moving, these are action words.

Here is the passage
7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, 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.  

It struck me how that whole passage is about the direction in which we are moving, that might not be the first thing that jumps out at you, but I really believe that this is a passage that encourages us in the direction that we are to go as Christians, the action we must take. See verse 14 doesn't say "I stand here and wait to win the prize for which God will deliver to you in Christ Jesus" no it says "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which god has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." It is a direction, it is us moving. I recognize that as a Christian I am far to comfortable with standing in my comfort zone, waiting for heaven to come to me, maybe your like that too. There needs to be a change, we, I, need to realize that's not what it's about, that's not what we have been called too. We need to be Christians of action, sometimes the hard part is answering the question "what does it look like for me to be moving heavenward?"

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