Tradition by John Monday

Tonight when my daughter,Taylor, went to bed she kissed each of my ears seven times. I then kissed each of her ears seven times. The same happened last night and will happen again tomorrow. When she was six it was six kisses each night and five kisses when she was five. This is a special way that my daughter and I celebrate our relationship. I’d be willing to bet that Taylor doesn’t even remember why, but I do.

I have a relatively minor case of tinnitus (ringing of the ears), and one evening after I had been complaining, Taylor asked if she could kiss my ears. Every five year old knows that loving kisses bring healing. Since that night three years ago we’ve shared that special tradition nearly every night.

My ears still ring, and Taylor has forgotten the original purpose of our tradition, but it has become a perpetual expression of our love for each other. I love our tradition and dread the day that it ends, but imagine how absurd it would be for me to tell you that seven kisses per ear per night is THE correct way for a parent and child to express their love.

What if I imposed my tradition on you and declared that any other expression of love was an inferior expression of love and unacceptable. What if we celebrated our special tradition for so long, so faithfully, so religiously that we actually began to think that our expression of love is more than just an expression but is, in fact, love itself.

You would, of course, think that I was insane – and you’d be right – but it’s a real danger we face everyday. Much of the stress we endure is caused by tradition becoming religion. We too often demand that your expression of love for God must sound like, look like, and feel like my expression of love for God. Sometimes we even dare to say that our own expressions are love and other expressions are abominations.

Taylor’s kisses have never and will never heal my ears, but her love is a balm. She is a creative and expressive child full of love for her Dad. She finds new ways to express her love everyday, and one day the ear kisses will stop. I don’t look forward to that day, but if the love continues, then the tradition can pass.

John Monday

Why People Are Afraid to Come to Jesus (and the Church) by David Achata

This year I’ve been examining the claims of the Gospel with my High School students on Wednesdays (we have a podcast now!) and my College students on Thursdays. It’s been a process that has taught me one thing about people: they are scared out of their minds about committing to Jesus Christ.

What I’m about to say is very important. The Florida Hospital Church has defined its mission as “Loving people into a lifelong friendship with God”, and we ought to understand what we’re getting into.

Imagine this: You’re walking down the street one day and a man approaches you and says, “My, you have an attractive face.” You respond by saying, “Thank you,” to which he replies, “I want it.”

You’re next thought is—“What! This guy is crazy!” You’re thinking this because, if you give him your face, you will not have one (and you will look really odd without one). You are identified by your face. When your face is gone, you have nothing by which to be recognized.

This is why coming to Jesus is scary. When we identify ourselves with our “face” (i.e., good works or evil works, superiority or inferiority, religion or irreligion), “it” becomes our identity. Jesus is the one saying, “I want your face.” He says this because he wants to give you a new one. He can say this because he knows that, apart from Him, we identify ourselves with sin.

In Tim Keller’s book, The Reason for God, he says, “We are all living for something and we are controlled by that, the true lord of our lives. If it is not God, it will endlessly oppress us.” Michael Card says in his book A Better Freedom that “the world seduces us with a slavery it calls ‘freedom.’”

Here’s what this all means: as we are seeking to Love people into a lifelong friendship with God, we ought to examine what we identify ourselves with. When people see you, would they sense they were being invited into a community of people who have received wonderful new identities in Christ or just another reason to be scared?

David Achata

Carrying a Grudge by Tami Cinquemani

When I was in high school I dated a guy who stole from me, lied to me, and completely disrespected me. He was my parent’s greatest nightmare. He was the catalyst for constant tension in my home and the reason for many tears on my pillow. Though this young man caused a great deal of pain in my life, I can honestly say that I have no ill feelings toward him. We were teenagers. As an adult I can look back at memories of a young man who had no father to teach him how men are supposed to treat women. I can imagine a scared and angry young man who wanted others to feel as scared and angry as he did. I realize that harboring a grudge can be paralyzing, and forgiveness can be freeing.

I ran into someone recently that was very verbal about a grudge they had been carrying for many years. No, it wasn’t against an old high school beau. It was against a church – a church they felt had “done them wrong.” This individual went into great detail of exactly what had happened and then proceeded to malign the beliefs of the denomination and the character of the people. Though the event that caused such great consternation occurred years earlier, it was as if the “wound” had been received that very day.

It is natural that our past contributes to who we are today, but we have a choice of what we do with all of life experiences – be they good or bad. Just as we benefit from the unconditional love of a parent or the affirming words of a mentor, we can learn from those whose intent is not so thoughtful. Learn to be patient from those who were impatient with you. Learn to be gracious from those who were unkind. Learn the importance of teaching your children about healthy dating relationships from those who were never given those tools.

Chances are the person or church you are obsessing about has moved on. Maybe they realize what they did was wrong . . . maybe not. But it is destructive and harmful to find your identity in what you perceive people have “done to you.” Instead of allowing past experiences to define you, finding a way to forgive is one of the first steps toward healing your life. Paul’s words to the Philippians is wise counsel for us today, “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13-14

Christ has called each one of us to a higher purpose. But it’s entirely possible we won’t ever understand or discover what it is if we remain paralyzed in the past. Though it may have brought some kind of comfort for a long time, it’s time to set down the “baggage” and realize the work God has for you can’t be done if you’re constantly dragging it along. I think what Paul is saying is, “It’s time to pick up the pieces . . . reframe your story . . . forgive . . . and allow a healing God to reveal the purpose He has for you.”

Note: Please understand that my words are not directed to someone who has been involved in an illegal act. If that is the case, though I do believe that pursuing forgiveness and not allowing the experience to define you are essential to healing, I also believe that justice should absolutely be found, and professional counseling should be pursued.

Tami Cinquemani

Same Old Same Old . . . Or Something New? by Andy McDonald

There can be some real advantages in doing things the way we’ve always done them – the zillions of little habits we form that take thought and effort out of many areas of life. We don’t need to struggle to learn a new way to tie our shoes because, whatever our method, we can perform that task almost without thinking. If we drive a car, at some point that was awkward, and the skill had to be learned. However, after years of practice, we may almost think of our car as an extension of ourselves – driving with the ease of tying our shoes. This may be well and good for those common and mundane tasks of life, but when we begin to go on “automatic pilot” in regards to our relationships, we shouldn’t be surprised when relational problems begin to surface.

That friend, spouse, and/or child is not just an extension of you like your car. To maintain and deepen our relationships, more is demanded than the mindless manner in which shoes are tied. Relationships of life merit our best innovative energies. I’d recommend taking an audit of all the important relationships in your life. What little extra could you bring to the equation that would spark or remind another of their significance? What routine could you break that would enable better connection? What questions could you ask, conversations could you start, pictures could you take or send that would bring some new energy to your relationship?

Of course, my mind also goes to the spiritual. How many of our spiritual experiences have slipped to just going through the motions like mindlessly tying our shoes or driving to work? What choices could we make to innovate our relationship with the divine? What unique private or corporate experience of worship might spark or remind us of the significance of God?

There can be some real advantages to doing things the way we’ve always done them – until our habits block their original intention, and then it’s time for some creativity! Just as God’s blessings are new every morning, so, with a little more intention, our relationships with the important people in our lives – and with God – can be fresh and new every day.

Andy McDonald

Patches of Righteousness by Chad Hess

When I was in high school, I had a pair of jeans that I really loved. They were well worn, and really comfortable. After a while, I got a hole in one of the knees. I loved how comfortable these jeans were, and I didn’t have money to buy new jeans, so I just put a patch over the hole. Over time, I got more rips and more patches. When the jeans finally ripped between two patches, I relented and threw them out. And yes, at the end the jeans looked as ridiculous as you are imagining with several different patches that didn’t match each other or the original pair of jeans.

I have realized that many of us take a similar approach with righteousness. We know that we have some problem areas in our lives, and we ask God to help us “patch” those areas. After all, we are pretty good people, and we are very comfortable with our lives. We just have a few areas that need some work.

However, Jesus didn’t come to patch up our old life; he came to give us a whole new life. "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old” (Luke 5:36). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The problem with our old way of life is not confined to a few areas; it is a systemic problem. That is why Jesus offers us a whole new life, a brand new garment. Let us embrace the new life that Jesus offers to us and leave our old lives in the trash where they belong.

Chad Hess

Driving Without a Spare by John Monday

Christian Philosopher Zane Yi spoke to us this weekend about Christ’s expectation that we be more worldly. He taught in depth from Mark 5:13 where Christ identifies his disciples as the salt of the world.

Zane made a compelling argument that salt, in order to accomplish its purpose, must be broken up and mixed into the food that it is flavoring. When salt is used properly, the flavors of the food are enhanced, the food becomes more palatable, and the meal becomes better.

Likewise, when Christians are mixed into the world, the God flavors of the world are enhanced and revealed. But when Christians all clump together, we become a worthless, white lump that is no good to anyone. Like a block of salt, we become cumbersome, disgusting and useless. In short, when we clump together we are not fulfilling Christ’s vision of us. I think Zane is right.

As I was considering the things Zane spoke to us about, I started thinking about my salt responsibilities in light of the words of another great poet who influences my life: Jimmy Buffett. Buffett writes much about the vanity and busyness of our lives. In the song “Wonder Why We Ever Go Home,” he writes:

People are movin' so quickly.

Humor's in need of repair.

Same occupations and same obligations,

they've really got nothing to share,

like drivin' around with no spare

I can relate to both the busyness of life and the clumpiness of my Christian family. I start my day rushing to get my kids off to church school, where my wife works as the business manager. I get ready and go to work at the church. On Saturday morning we all go back to the church where we see all the people we saw all week.

Birthdays, holidays, sporting events, social events – all the same people. I can go weeks moving as fast as I can from one thing to the next without ever having a meaningful conversation with anyone outside my church family, and it can make me toxic.

Don’t misunderstand. I cherish church and the social opportunities it affords, but if I’m to be salt, as Christ has it envisioned, then I’m going to have to come up with some spare: spare time, spare money, spare room in my life. I’m going to have to mingle with people as one who has their best interest at heart. (Sound familiar?)

Clumping feels safer, it’s easier, it requires less effort, but I promise you there are some great flavors out there in the world just waiting to be unlocked by the salt in you.

John Monday

What the Gospel Is and Isn't by David Achata & Doug Foley

This blog will be posted on Easter Sunday – the day we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection from the dead, conquering sin and death forever. As I listened to Pastor Andy’s sermon yesterday about how the resurrection makes us a dangerous people, it made me think about what makes a church dangerous vs. ineffective.

What makes a church dangerous? The Gospel. What makes a church ineffective? Secondary gospels (i.e., ways to be justified before God other than Christ).

Here’s the problem: The church can become so caught up in arguments over what we are supposed to believe (or do) that, at some point, we stop being the church and become some kind of intellectual forum. It seems to me that the voices that are the loudest within Adventism veer sometimes toward the right, while not much is heard from the left or the middle.

I heard someone say that the Gospel makes the liberals think you are too conservative while it makes the conservatives think you are too liberal. This, I think, is what it means to be in the middle.

Here’s what I’m trying to say: I love my church, and I want it to be effective.

So this week I sat with my friend Doug, and we spent two and a half hours trying to hammer out a simple list of what the Gospel is and isn’t. This list is not complete, but it is our attempt to offer clarity beyond the conservative and liberal arguments. It’s our hope that on this day, by re-focusing on the Gospel, we can all be brought back toward the middle to put our main focus on Jesus rather than on the secondary issues.

The Gospel:

1. Makes us righteous first (2 Cor. 5:21 )
2. Helps us do good works second (Eph. 2:8-10)
3. Places a high value on confession and repentance (James 5:16, 2 Cor. 7:10)
4. Humbles us and does away with all notions of superiority (Luke 18:14)
5. Is simple and complex – i.e., simple enough for a child to understand, complex enough to exhaust the most seasoned theologian (Rom. 11:33)
6. Liberates us from sin (Gal. 5:1)
7. Breaks us (Mt. 21:44)
8. Unites us (John 17:21, Eph. 2:11-13)

The Gospel isn’t:

1. A permission slip to spiritual snobbery which leads to sin (James 4:6, Rom. 2:17-24)
2. The cart before the horse – i.e., we do good works so we can be righteous (Gal. 2:16)
3. Private (read: better) knowledge (1 Cor. 8:1, 2 Peter 1:20)
4. A license to remain the same (Gal. 5:13)
5. Secondary (i.e., One bible study guide amidst 30)

So there you have it. As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, let’s live as dangerous people and hold up the flag of the Gospel. Let’s love our Lord and serve with our church to speak and live the Gospel in the world.

David Achata and Doug Foley