Good Enough

I've been thinking about contentment lately. I don't think it's an attitude that breeds very well in the petri dish of rich countries like ours, and as all things that are like this, it's a bad characteristic that gets ingrained into some pretty good people. But I was thinking about the passive nature of contentment, and what it would look like to do it intentionally.

Now if you're a naturally content person, I guess it wouldn't look like anything, but I think most of us passively have the desire for more gnawing on our brain stem. I'm in the process of buying a new home right now, and maybe a new(er) car. Some of the cause of that is repair bills, but I wonder how much of it is really seated in a lack of contentment. I pay a lot of lip service to what God has blessed me with in this life, and I really mean it when I acknowledge what He's given me. I would say I'm one of the more content people I know, but I can't avoid the reality that there are some forces in me that I'm still learning to control (can you relate?) But ultimately, I think God has put it within the realm of our humanity to set some of these desires under our own power, and if nothing else, under the power of the Holy Spirit in us.

So here's an idea, take it or leave it... I thought it would be an interesting personal experiment to try to be deliberately content for a month. Basically, what that means is that you stop using the phrase "I want that." You stop spending your money that way. Stop getting upset and whining about how _________ isn't good enough, or how you deserve better. A lot of it is really just about pausing before you act and asking if it needs replacing, if it's worth doing or buying, if it's constructive or just a complaint. If it's really necessary, or if it's really about me not being content. I think I'm going to try it in April. I just decided while I was typing this.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Samurai vs. Pirate

Despite the fact that I don't really love reading, I love learning. So sometimes I read.

Mostly, my shelf is filled with Christian books, as that is the subject I'm most interested in mastering–not that you can really call it that. The Bible has such unsearchable depth and nuance, it always seems like there is something amazing to be discovered. But I've been branching out lately, and learning some cool things from some cool books like these:

Bushido: the Soul of Japan
This book, by Inazo Nitobé is a gem of wisdom. I have so much reverence for samurai culture, and the more I learn about it, the more awesome it becomes. Every guy would love how hard-core it all is. At one point, Nitobé writes about samurai children being sent at night to sites of public execution with instructions to leave a marker of their presence on a freshly severed head. This was done to acquaint them with death so they would not fear it when their time came to die in battle. But accompanying this callused toughness is a gentle wisdom that builds principled men of integrity who think that honor is valued above life, and that courage is not reckless abandon, but bravery in doing justice.

Uniquely, this account of samurai culture is written by a Christian Japanese native, which adds a powerful ethical backdrop to this culture of hardened righteousness. It's free on iBooks.

Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life
Texas Tech fans know the name Mike Leach well, but knowing his whole story is pretty awesome. This guy has some impressive integrity, and the most dry, matter-of-fact code of self-conduct you've ever seen. A good mix of moral insight and autobiographical storytelling, this book has a small target audience, but I'm not sure how you could read it and not be impressed with this man. The book truly transcends his sporting career because Leach is "an endlessly innovative and original character, who just happened to coach football." (foreword)  Glad he's back to coaching. Look for Washington State to start winning an unprecedented amount of games in the next few seasons.
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There's cool stuff out there. Feel free to share some good reads with me as well!

Great Expectations

I used Psalm 101 in my guys' Bible Study last night. Here is an excerpt of David's poem:

 I will walk in my house
   with blameless heart.
³ I will set before my eyes
   no vile thing.

   The deeds of faithless men I hate;
   they will not cling to me.
⁴ Men of perverse heart shall be far from me;
   I will have nothing to do with evil.

 ⁵ Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
   him will I put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,
   him will I not endure.

 ⁶ My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
   that they may dwell with me;
he whose walk is blameless
   will minister to me. (NIV84)

This poem outlines two ideas, two promises that David is making to God.

1: This is my standard for myself

2: This is my expectation of my company

You may have noticed what is already obvious; David's standards are incredibly high. This passage resonates with me as a man not only because of how much David believes in his ability to rise to the occasion of being the man God is calling him to be, but also because of how empowered his responses are to the actions of those around him.

Think about it. The last time you heard someone talking behind someone else's back, did you put them to silence? Do you endure the presence of arrogant friends? David exercised restraint to cut himself off from evil, and he uses his influence to cut evil off from his presence. That's a righteous man.

Hold others to a standard of righteousness. Let them know. Show them how.

Simplif

I like words. Especially ironic words. For instance, have you noticed before that the word "palindrome," which describes words that are spelled the same forwards and backwards, is not a palindrome? It's kind of awesome. Another one is "Simplify." Three syllables doesn't strike me as something that is being made less complex. Someone should change that.

Anyway, this last weekend, God gave me a reminder about simplicity. The source of this is rooted in my sincere belief that all parts of the Bible are not equally important. (I can say this with confidence that God will not zap me with lightning.) I realized how much focus that I can give to the parts that are less important if I'm not focused on the ones that are crucial.

I've been a Christian for a long time, and sometimes I can forget that those who I am privileged to preach to do not share my background. They don't understand all the scriptural references I do. They don't need the same convictions of heart that I need. But they need to know the Jesus I know, and it's the saving sacrifice of this Jesus that I can forget when I get wrapped up in dogmatic debates whose outcomes of a fist pump cannot compare to a life-saving victory of the Gospel winning a heart to Jesus. It's this that calls me to simplification, editing the content of my teaching or even my beliefs, so that people don't fail to take away from my teaching or conversation the most important point of scripture: God loves us so much that he gave up the life of Jesus, so that anyone that believes in Him will be saved from death.

Sounds familiar.

St. Francis once said "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words." Good advice. Just don't forget: sometimes it's necessary to use words.

It's a simple question. (Part 3)

Being a Christian is about sacrificing yourself to God.

Why? Well, it depends on where you want to start. For instance, if you start in the Beginning. Who makes the first sacrifice to God in the Bible? It's not Cain and Abel. Start earlier.

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Gen 2 NIV)

Have everything else you want, but sacrifice this one thing. We often think of sacrifices as things that we do have, then give up. We put it on the altar, and burn it up. But sometimes the sacrifice, like this one, is to never have what we want. If you look at it this way, then every command of God is not only demanding obedience; it is demanding some form of sacrifice. That kind of idea is a lot bigger than rams and knives and the book of Leviticus.

The next two great characters of the Old Testament are Noah and Abraham (Abram), and God's first words to each of them are a demand for sacrifice. Respectively, he tells them, "Build a giant floating zoo," and "Move your whole family from your home. I'll tell you where you're going later." (para: Gen 6:13-14; Gen 12:1)

So why is this a sacrifice?

Because I'm not a carpenter.
Because they will call me crazy.
Because the lions will eat me.
Because I'm too old.
Because I'm happier here.
Because my sandal is broken.
Because you're not giving me enough information.
Because it's in my family's best interest.
Because I don't want to.

Every excuse that didn't pass their lips was a sacrifice to God. Every feeling of confusion and doubt that they kept to themselves and gave him an offering of trust and obedience instead. That is sacrifice.

The New Testament follows the same pattern.

Sacrifice fairness; practice benevolence. (Mt 5:38-42)
Sacrifice confidence; practice faith. (Mt 6:25-34)
Sacrifice patriotism; bring bandages instead of bullets. (Lk 10:30-37)
Sacrifice doing it your way; throw your nets on the other side. (Jn 21:5-6)
Sacrifice your life; Jesus did this for you. (2 Cor 5:14-15)

If our relationship with God is not built around sacrificing ourselves for him, it is not because he hasn't required it; it's because we're afraid of it. Pride often clouds us to the point that we will not even accept the nature of such a relationship to him, but without accepting this, how can we even begin to know God?

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 your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12 NIV)

Sacrifice is the overarching image of man's relationship to God. It leads us to knowing his will.

It's what being a Christian is about.