Crazy Love Observations: Chapter 4
So this is where it starts to hurt.
Up to this point, Crazy Love has been insightful and inspiring; however, there always comes a time when truth must be internalized, and we have to honestly ask ourselves if we’re really living the message. Chapter 4 (profile of the lukewarm) brings us to one of those moments.
As we dive into this, let me remind you of the difference between conviction and condemnation. The conviction of the Holy Spirit is sweet—it’s a piercing pain that lances our heart with the knowledge that we’ve blown it and that we need to make a course correction, but there is always sweetness in it. Psalm 19 says that the “fear of the Lord is clean” and it’s true—the conviction that God brings is clean and wholesome, and our spirit longs for it and reaches for it. Condemnation on the other hand is a wet blanket of guilt that saps our energy and threatens to send us on a downward spiral. The Holy Spirit wants to convict us to keep us on course, while simultaneously rolling the guilt and shame of condemnation off of us. So...reject condemnation but embrace conviction as we evaluate our lives in the light of this chapter.
I think what gripped me the most in this chapter was when Francis shared how he had become disillusioned with American Christianity and, consequently, began to evaluate every dimension of his life against the standard of the Bible (instead of the typical patterns and practices of the church). If we were to do the same, I’m sure we would draw the same conclusions: we spend far too much time on trivia, and far too little on treasure. We fret about things that have very little (if no) eternal value, and we are far too easily satisfied with our temporal, natural pleasures. I love the quote he used from C.S. Lewis to reinforce this thought: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”
There were two other points that really stood out to me. First, “lukewarm” Christians have “limits” to their love, their sacrifice, and their devotion to Christ; and, second, “lukewarm” Christians call “radical” what Jesus thinks is merely the norm.
I had the privilege of interviewing Francis for a ministry magazine and he said something to me in that interview that reinforced the heartbeat of this chapter. He said, “everyone thinks that what our church is doing is so special and amazing—but really we’re just trying to do the basics of what we’re called to as Christians.”
What would happen to Grace if we decided to do the same? What would change in us and in our ministries if we decided to really go for it and truly be 21st century, New Testament Christians? What would change in our community? Let’s begin counting the cost of these questions so that this book actually becomes a catalyst for lasting change.
I love you all very, very much, and I love being on this journey with you!
Chris
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Crazy Love Observations: Chapter 3
I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! Jess, the girls, and I had the chance to go to Huntington Beach the other day and I’m happy to announce that we former Coloradoans (is that a word?) are officially body-surfers. Never mind the fact that we were only in water up to our knees and the waves were all but spent by the time they reached us—we still had a blast conquering the surf!
Well, we’re in the third chapter of Crazy Love, and as he does all throughout the book, Francis Chan touches on a profound issue: our understanding and view of God. Our view of God is, without question, the most influential force in our lives. If we view Him as He really is, we will love and trust Him, and have the ability to smile at the future. Unfortunately, life’s ups and downs can sometimes damage and skew our perspective of Him, and if we’re not careful we can adopt a view of God that is wholly unlike who He really is.
Don’t you hate it when people do that to you? Isn’t it frustrating and hurtful to find out that you’ve been misrepresented in a given situation and that people drew unfair or inaccurate conclusions about you? Whenever that happens don’t you immediately want the chance to clear your name and correct the misunderstanding?
God deserves that chance, too!
A few weeks ago, I gave you a list of questions to process with the Lord, and the first one was, “What is your view of God?” I had shared with you how fortunate I am to have parents who raised me in such a way that my view of God is one of Him walking toward me. But what if you had authority figures that painted a picture of an angry God, or of an aloof, distant God who walks away when it counts? PLEASE give God the chance to shatter that faulty view of Him. Take that mental picture and get alone with Him and give Him the chance to respond to it and to do some surgery on your soul.
Knowing God’s love is the most healing, profound experience available to humanity, and He wants you to have it. Most of us can intellectually assent that, yes, God does love us; however, He wants that knowledge to drop down from our head into our heart where it can actually change us.
Here are some parting questions for us to ponder: What is our view of God? Where and how did that view develop? Is it an accurate, worthy view? If it’s not, how do we change it? And finally, how can we treat others in a way that reinforces an accurate view of God’s love for them?
I love you all very much! See you this weekend!
Chris
I hope you are all having a wonderful summer! Jess, the girls, and I had the chance to go to Huntington Beach the other day and I’m happy to announce that we former Coloradoans (is that a word?) are officially body-surfers. Never mind the fact that we were only in water up to our knees and the waves were all but spent by the time they reached us—we still had a blast conquering the surf!
Well, we’re in the third chapter of Crazy Love, and as he does all throughout the book, Francis Chan touches on a profound issue: our understanding and view of God. Our view of God is, without question, the most influential force in our lives. If we view Him as He really is, we will love and trust Him, and have the ability to smile at the future. Unfortunately, life’s ups and downs can sometimes damage and skew our perspective of Him, and if we’re not careful we can adopt a view of God that is wholly unlike who He really is.
Don’t you hate it when people do that to you? Isn’t it frustrating and hurtful to find out that you’ve been misrepresented in a given situation and that people drew unfair or inaccurate conclusions about you? Whenever that happens don’t you immediately want the chance to clear your name and correct the misunderstanding?
God deserves that chance, too!
A few weeks ago, I gave you a list of questions to process with the Lord, and the first one was, “What is your view of God?” I had shared with you how fortunate I am to have parents who raised me in such a way that my view of God is one of Him walking toward me. But what if you had authority figures that painted a picture of an angry God, or of an aloof, distant God who walks away when it counts? PLEASE give God the chance to shatter that faulty view of Him. Take that mental picture and get alone with Him and give Him the chance to respond to it and to do some surgery on your soul.
Knowing God’s love is the most healing, profound experience available to humanity, and He wants you to have it. Most of us can intellectually assent that, yes, God does love us; however, He wants that knowledge to drop down from our head into our heart where it can actually change us.
Here are some parting questions for us to ponder: What is our view of God? Where and how did that view develop? Is it an accurate, worthy view? If it’s not, how do we change it? And finally, how can we treat others in a way that reinforces an accurate view of God’s love for them?
I love you all very much! See you this weekend!
Chris
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Crazy Love Observations: Chapters 1 & 2
Well, these chapters thoroughly convicted me regarding a little habit I’ve slipped into—I’m one of those people who have ruined the word “awesome,” using it to describe everything from a sporting event, to a clever joke, or an In-N-Out burger (well, “awesome” might actually fit for that last one). Seriously, though, Webster’s dictionary defines “awesome” as something that fills us with a mixture of wonder, fear, inspiration, and awe. It’s a God-word. And the first chapter of Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love, did an outstanding job of reminding us to slow down and look up at the magnificence of this God that we’re serving.
One of my favorite quotes (this wasn’t in the book) is a statement made by D.L. Moody near the end of his life after he was asked how he continued with such an intense ministry schedule, and he replied, “I’ve never lost the wonder.” Reading this first chapter makes me want to re-commit to clutching the wonder as well. I don’t ever want to shrink my view of God to the point where thoughts of Him could ever become commonplace, or boring.
What is your view of God? Francis listed numerous attributes of the Lord’s nature—which ones most stir you and fill you with “awe”? Have you let your infatuation with God diminish over the years? If so, we need to remember what Francis wrote on page 27 about “spiritual amnesia” and we need to rekindle the art of storytelling and begin to regale one another with reminders of how awesome our God really is. That’s what the elders in Israel were supposed to do—they were storytellers—they were supposed to continually remind the emerging generations about all of the great things that God had done for them. A tragic feature of the Bible is the fact that when the storytellers died, the young generation drifted (see Joshua 24:31, Judges 2:7-10, and other similar references).
Let’s remember. And let’s remind one another. And let’s be a community that NEVER holds an unworthy view of God.
If we’re successful in this, we’ll avoid a snare that Francis highlighted in chapter two when he challenged us to look beyond our own little lives and realize that even though God has given us a role to play in His story—it’s His story. If we’re honest, most of us live most of our lives as if our dreams, our goals, our needs, and our prayers were the central issues of the day—and they’re not. We’ve merely been privileged to serve Him as His story unfolds through the spectrum of time.
I like Francis’ challenge to frequently remember that we’re never guaranteed anything beyond today—living in the light of eternity and our own mortality gives us a greater sense of urgency, and it compels us to make our lives count. When it’s all said and done, how will our lives be judged? Will we be in the camp of those who lived their lives to give their lives, or will we have lived for self?
Well, these chapters thoroughly convicted me regarding a little habit I’ve slipped into—I’m one of those people who have ruined the word “awesome,” using it to describe everything from a sporting event, to a clever joke, or an In-N-Out burger (well, “awesome” might actually fit for that last one). Seriously, though, Webster’s dictionary defines “awesome” as something that fills us with a mixture of wonder, fear, inspiration, and awe. It’s a God-word. And the first chapter of Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love, did an outstanding job of reminding us to slow down and look up at the magnificence of this God that we’re serving.
One of my favorite quotes (this wasn’t in the book) is a statement made by D.L. Moody near the end of his life after he was asked how he continued with such an intense ministry schedule, and he replied, “I’ve never lost the wonder.” Reading this first chapter makes me want to re-commit to clutching the wonder as well. I don’t ever want to shrink my view of God to the point where thoughts of Him could ever become commonplace, or boring.
What is your view of God? Francis listed numerous attributes of the Lord’s nature—which ones most stir you and fill you with “awe”? Have you let your infatuation with God diminish over the years? If so, we need to remember what Francis wrote on page 27 about “spiritual amnesia” and we need to rekindle the art of storytelling and begin to regale one another with reminders of how awesome our God really is. That’s what the elders in Israel were supposed to do—they were storytellers—they were supposed to continually remind the emerging generations about all of the great things that God had done for them. A tragic feature of the Bible is the fact that when the storytellers died, the young generation drifted (see Joshua 24:31, Judges 2:7-10, and other similar references).
Let’s remember. And let’s remind one another. And let’s be a community that NEVER holds an unworthy view of God.
If we’re successful in this, we’ll avoid a snare that Francis highlighted in chapter two when he challenged us to look beyond our own little lives and realize that even though God has given us a role to play in His story—it’s His story. If we’re honest, most of us live most of our lives as if our dreams, our goals, our needs, and our prayers were the central issues of the day—and they’re not. We’ve merely been privileged to serve Him as His story unfolds through the spectrum of time.
I like Francis’ challenge to frequently remember that we’re never guaranteed anything beyond today—living in the light of eternity and our own mortality gives us a greater sense of urgency, and it compels us to make our lives count. When it’s all said and done, how will our lives be judged? Will we be in the camp of those who lived their lives to give their lives, or will we have lived for self?
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