Crazy Love Observations: Chapter 8
Would you be willing to do me a favor? Would you start praying with me and asking God what we're supposed to do with all of this stuff from Crazy Love? It's a fantastic book, but it's also the kind of book that drives a spear through our insincerity and complacency (perhaps that's why it's a fantastic book), and compels us to action. When we first began reading this together I was approached by a man who said, "I'm excited to see what happens in and through Grace as a result of reading it."
I am too.
But I'm also nervous because this is the kind of book that requires something of us. I think God tricked us into reading it because once we're exposed to truth we're accountable for it and we have to answer the question, "What am I going to do with it?"
He has some things for Grace Church to do, and it's stuff that goes above and beyond being good, quality people. I was convicted by the section in this chapter where Francis wrote, "I think sometimes we assume that if we are nice, people will know that we are Christians and want to know more about Jesus. But it really doesn't work that way. I know a lot of people who don't know Christ and are really nice-nicer and more fun to be with, in fact, than a lot of Christians I know. There has to be more to our faith than friendliness, politeness, and even kindness." He's right of course. James unpacked this in our letter when he said that real faith always has accompanying works attached to it. It's interesting that the first book of the New Testament that focuses on the church is called the book of "Acts." Acts must accompany the message.
I'm in a personal season of asking God about the "works" that He's asking Grace to do for our community.
We should all have our individual "one" that we're actively pursuing through our friendship and love, but there is also a "corporate one" for us-a mission-an assignment that will impact the 210-corridor with God's love. Let's go for it! I think we have all of the right elements in our church for us to become a driving force for good in our communities. (YOU are those elements, by the way.)
Know you are loved!
Chris
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Crazy Love Observations: Chapter 7
Christianity is miserable unless you’re willing to go all the way with it. Have you ever thought about that (have you ever experienced that)? In his famous book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a German pastor and theologian in the 1940s) stated, “When Jesus calls a disciple, He bids him come and die.” And it’s true. But it’s also tragic unless we read through to the rest of the message.
Jesus did indeed call us to take up our cross and follow Him on a daily basis, but He also showed us that resurrection life is waiting on the other side of that cross. If we don’t go all the way with it, we won’t get to the good stuff. If we don’t let Him lead us, we won’t experience His leading. If we don’t take a risk for Him, we’ll never see how He can do the impossible. If we don’t say “no” to temptation, we won’t experience the transcendent satisfaction that comes from His presence. If we don’t really give our lives away, we won’t really find life.
In this chapter Francis Chan calls us to find our “best life...later.” That’s another backwards dimension of the incredible Kingdom of God—despite the exhilarations and delights that we can find here on planet earth, they pale compared to the glory of eternity. The psalmist said our lives (with their highest highs and their lowest lows) are “but a mere breath.” St. Teresa said of the pain and agony we experience on earth, “compared to heaven, even the most miserable life will look like one bad night in an inconvenient hotel.” I realize this may sound trite or trivializing to someone who is experiencing the pains of planet earth, but it’s truth—and since it is, I have to concur with Francis: shouldn’t we be living our life with a view to eternity instead of being 100% consumed with what we’re facing today?
C.S. Lewis wrote, “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 that they have become so ineffective in this.” I shared with you all a few Sundays ago that in a couple of months I’ll be starting a teaching series on “heaven” where we’ll study what the Bible reveals about heaven and the afterlife, and how living in the light of eternity can drastically impact our lives on earth. I’m excited to get into that study with you, but in the meantime, let’s wrestle with a few questions.
How much of what I’m doing today has eternal significance to it?
From God’s perspective, are my thoughts, passions, and dreams centered on treasure or trivia?
Is my Christianity theory that makes for good philosophy, or is it reality expressed through increasing love and care for hurting people in the world around me?
Will Jesus be proud to come back for me?
Tough questions...I’m SO grateful to be wrestling through them with you!!
I love you!
Chris
Christianity is miserable unless you’re willing to go all the way with it. Have you ever thought about that (have you ever experienced that)? In his famous book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (a German pastor and theologian in the 1940s) stated, “When Jesus calls a disciple, He bids him come and die.” And it’s true. But it’s also tragic unless we read through to the rest of the message.
Jesus did indeed call us to take up our cross and follow Him on a daily basis, but He also showed us that resurrection life is waiting on the other side of that cross. If we don’t go all the way with it, we won’t get to the good stuff. If we don’t let Him lead us, we won’t experience His leading. If we don’t take a risk for Him, we’ll never see how He can do the impossible. If we don’t say “no” to temptation, we won’t experience the transcendent satisfaction that comes from His presence. If we don’t really give our lives away, we won’t really find life.
In this chapter Francis Chan calls us to find our “best life...later.” That’s another backwards dimension of the incredible Kingdom of God—despite the exhilarations and delights that we can find here on planet earth, they pale compared to the glory of eternity. The psalmist said our lives (with their highest highs and their lowest lows) are “but a mere breath.” St. Teresa said of the pain and agony we experience on earth, “compared to heaven, even the most miserable life will look like one bad night in an inconvenient hotel.” I realize this may sound trite or trivializing to someone who is experiencing the pains of planet earth, but it’s truth—and since it is, I have to concur with Francis: shouldn’t we be living our life with a view to eternity instead of being 100% consumed with what we’re facing today?
C.S. Lewis wrote, “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 that they have become so ineffective in this.” I shared with you all a few Sundays ago that in a couple of months I’ll be starting a teaching series on “heaven” where we’ll study what the Bible reveals about heaven and the afterlife, and how living in the light of eternity can drastically impact our lives on earth. I’m excited to get into that study with you, but in the meantime, let’s wrestle with a few questions.
How much of what I’m doing today has eternal significance to it?
From God’s perspective, are my thoughts, passions, and dreams centered on treasure or trivia?
Is my Christianity theory that makes for good philosophy, or is it reality expressed through increasing love and care for hurting people in the world around me?
Will Jesus be proud to come back for me?
Tough questions...I’m SO grateful to be wrestling through them with you!!
I love you!
Chris
Friday, August 14, 2009
Crazy Love Observations: Chapter 6
Well, this was another great chapter from Francis Chan in Crazy Love. I hope you felt liberated and empowered when he gave us the freedom to say, “God, I don’t really love you like I should—help me to love you.” It’s not wrong or bad to be in that place—it’s not wrong to admit that despite our best Christian service and religious diligence, we really don’t feel much love for God. What is wrong or bad is to deny the true state of our heart, or try to live behind a façade. The quip, “fake it ‘til you make it” is okay only if we eventually make it. It’s okay to feel “cool” in our love for God but we can’t stay there—if we need Him to awaken thirst in us, we should run to Him and tell Him so. He does love us, He will express that to us if we’re willing to listen, and when He does, loving Him back will be automatic.
I’ve always been struck by the verse in 1 John 4:19 that says, “We love Him because He first loved us.” If we take that literally, it means that every time we say, “I love you, God,” we’re really saying, “I love you too” because He’s already been loving us. Try it some time. Instead of saying, “I love you” in your personal prayer and worship times, say, “I love you too.” It makes a difference.
Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to spin the thoughts from this chapter off into a tangent. The chapter was all about loving God, but with a title like, “When You’re in Love,” I have to also apply this toward our interpersonal relationships with the people we love.
This was a convicting chapter for me. I’m still crazy in love with Jessica, but somehow without meaning to I’ve slipped out of my dancing shoes and into a comfortable pair of married guy’s slippers. Here’s what I mean. When we were dating we would call each other on the phone to say good night and we never wanted to hang up—we would talk so long that sometimes we actually fell asleep cradling the phone receiver. Today, however, after fourteen years of marriage, I can’t even stay awake with her for an entire movie (I don’t think I’ve finished watching a movie rental in the first sitting in years). Sounds pretty boring, huh?
Now I realize that we’re not dating any more, and I know that the reason I used to fall asleep with the phone was because I couldn’t fall asleep with her; however, I don’t want to lose the craziness of newly awakened love.
I realize this might be challenging to read if your marriage has collapsed or if you’re single and still waiting to meet someone special, but you can still apply this to other key relationships. What does “first love” look like for a parent? What does true friendship—I mean the Kirk, Spock, and McCoy type—look like? Are we still investing in our key relationships or are we too comfy in our slippers? We need both—we need the comfort of familiarity, but we can never lose the spark of crazy love.
Well, this was another great chapter from Francis Chan in Crazy Love. I hope you felt liberated and empowered when he gave us the freedom to say, “God, I don’t really love you like I should—help me to love you.” It’s not wrong or bad to be in that place—it’s not wrong to admit that despite our best Christian service and religious diligence, we really don’t feel much love for God. What is wrong or bad is to deny the true state of our heart, or try to live behind a façade. The quip, “fake it ‘til you make it” is okay only if we eventually make it. It’s okay to feel “cool” in our love for God but we can’t stay there—if we need Him to awaken thirst in us, we should run to Him and tell Him so. He does love us, He will express that to us if we’re willing to listen, and when He does, loving Him back will be automatic.
I’ve always been struck by the verse in 1 John 4:19 that says, “We love Him because He first loved us.” If we take that literally, it means that every time we say, “I love you, God,” we’re really saying, “I love you too” because He’s already been loving us. Try it some time. Instead of saying, “I love you” in your personal prayer and worship times, say, “I love you too.” It makes a difference.
Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to spin the thoughts from this chapter off into a tangent. The chapter was all about loving God, but with a title like, “When You’re in Love,” I have to also apply this toward our interpersonal relationships with the people we love.
This was a convicting chapter for me. I’m still crazy in love with Jessica, but somehow without meaning to I’ve slipped out of my dancing shoes and into a comfortable pair of married guy’s slippers. Here’s what I mean. When we were dating we would call each other on the phone to say good night and we never wanted to hang up—we would talk so long that sometimes we actually fell asleep cradling the phone receiver. Today, however, after fourteen years of marriage, I can’t even stay awake with her for an entire movie (I don’t think I’ve finished watching a movie rental in the first sitting in years). Sounds pretty boring, huh?
Now I realize that we’re not dating any more, and I know that the reason I used to fall asleep with the phone was because I couldn’t fall asleep with her; however, I don’t want to lose the craziness of newly awakened love.
I realize this might be challenging to read if your marriage has collapsed or if you’re single and still waiting to meet someone special, but you can still apply this to other key relationships. What does “first love” look like for a parent? What does true friendship—I mean the Kirk, Spock, and McCoy type—look like? Are we still investing in our key relationships or are we too comfy in our slippers? We need both—we need the comfort of familiarity, but we can never lose the spark of crazy love.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Crazy Love Observations: Chapter 5
Read the book like you’ve never read it before. That was Francis’ challenge to himself (and to us) in chapter 5 of Crazy Love. And I like it.
I routinely try to do that in my own Bible study times, especially when I’m reading a familiar or well-known passage, and it’s amazing what I’ll sometimes see when I read it without the lens of past sermons or common interpretations. As in Francis’ case, sometimes I’ll see that I’ve missed the point of the message. And I think that’s the essence of this entire book—without meaning to, we’ve missed the point and we’ve often replaced true devotion to Christ with dutiful, religious service. And the crazy thing about this is that religion apart from relationship is always death (Paul makes this abundantly clear in the book of Romans).
My fear as we read this book together is that we might slip into the trap of psyching ourselves up to try and do more, and thus prove that we’re true Christians—that is neither the point nor the goal of this reading program. Our aim is not to do more spiritual activities, or even to become more conscientious about hurting people around us—it is to encounter God in new and fresh ways, trusting that the devotion that springs from that encounter will spur us on to the appropriate works. As our guest speaker said last Sunday, we don’t “grunt out” good works, we cling to Jesus and allow His life to overflow into every arena of our lives.
I love Francis’ definition of a true Christian as being one who “perpetually moves toward Christ.” I think a good reflection question from this chapter would be, “Is there any Christ-movement in our lives—are we moving closer to Jesus or are we static?”
One of the best gauges to help us know whether we’re moving closer to Him or not is to measure the “love content” in our hearts, and ask if we’re growing in our love for God and people (by the way, it’s nearly impossible to grow in love for people without first growing in love for God—remember, the first great commandment to “love God” precedes the second to “love our neighbor”).
In case anyone is baffled with this idea of how to love God more, let me use a quote from a song from the 1950s: “to know Him is to love Him.” It’s impossible to know God and not love Him, and it’s impossible to know Him more and not love Him more. So if you’re struggling in your love for God, tell that to Him and ask Him to reveal Himself to you in new and fresh ways so you can know Him more. He’ll meet you! And when He does, your love will naturally increase. And then “serving leftovers to a holy God” will be a non-issue.
On a personal note, Amber and Maddie just boarded a plane for Spokane, Washington, to spend time with their grandparents and go on their annual camping trip. J Jess and I will go pick them up in a couple of weeks, and while we’re there I’ll have the chance to preach at the church where I grew up in Newport, Washington. Pray for me!
I love you all—and I’m praying for YOU!
Chris
Read the book like you’ve never read it before. That was Francis’ challenge to himself (and to us) in chapter 5 of Crazy Love. And I like it.
I routinely try to do that in my own Bible study times, especially when I’m reading a familiar or well-known passage, and it’s amazing what I’ll sometimes see when I read it without the lens of past sermons or common interpretations. As in Francis’ case, sometimes I’ll see that I’ve missed the point of the message. And I think that’s the essence of this entire book—without meaning to, we’ve missed the point and we’ve often replaced true devotion to Christ with dutiful, religious service. And the crazy thing about this is that religion apart from relationship is always death (Paul makes this abundantly clear in the book of Romans).
My fear as we read this book together is that we might slip into the trap of psyching ourselves up to try and do more, and thus prove that we’re true Christians—that is neither the point nor the goal of this reading program. Our aim is not to do more spiritual activities, or even to become more conscientious about hurting people around us—it is to encounter God in new and fresh ways, trusting that the devotion that springs from that encounter will spur us on to the appropriate works. As our guest speaker said last Sunday, we don’t “grunt out” good works, we cling to Jesus and allow His life to overflow into every arena of our lives.
I love Francis’ definition of a true Christian as being one who “perpetually moves toward Christ.” I think a good reflection question from this chapter would be, “Is there any Christ-movement in our lives—are we moving closer to Jesus or are we static?”
One of the best gauges to help us know whether we’re moving closer to Him or not is to measure the “love content” in our hearts, and ask if we’re growing in our love for God and people (by the way, it’s nearly impossible to grow in love for people without first growing in love for God—remember, the first great commandment to “love God” precedes the second to “love our neighbor”).
In case anyone is baffled with this idea of how to love God more, let me use a quote from a song from the 1950s: “to know Him is to love Him.” It’s impossible to know God and not love Him, and it’s impossible to know Him more and not love Him more. So if you’re struggling in your love for God, tell that to Him and ask Him to reveal Himself to you in new and fresh ways so you can know Him more. He’ll meet you! And when He does, your love will naturally increase. And then “serving leftovers to a holy God” will be a non-issue.
On a personal note, Amber and Maddie just boarded a plane for Spokane, Washington, to spend time with their grandparents and go on their annual camping trip. J Jess and I will go pick them up in a couple of weeks, and while we’re there I’ll have the chance to preach at the church where I grew up in Newport, Washington. Pray for me!
I love you all—and I’m praying for YOU!
Chris
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