Crazy Love

Just finished reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I had a little bit of a hard time understanding what the point was at first, because he talked a lot about what not to do...don't stress(instead, give it to God, much easier said than done), don't talk at God (talk to God), don't be lukewarm (and here's what a lukewarm person looks like!). It was kind of frustrating, but see, I have this thing about reading that when I start a book, I kind of bully myself if I don't finish it. I also thought I owed it to the book to see where it was going. So I kept reading. I am very glad I did. By the time I got to the end of the book, it was no longer telling us what not to do, but telling us what is meant by "crazy love" and even a little bit of what that looks like. It spoke about Christ's call to live an extraordinary life, rather than the privileged lives the majority of us lead. It was basically a call to action, without telling us specifically that we should go to the missions field, or sell our houses.

See, the reason it started with what not to do was in order to lay the groundwork of listening to what God has to say to us, personally. A lot of times, I feel that the church has missions conferences, and everyone gets fired up about going to the missions field. But what if that is not God's call for your life? I think that often times people who are not called to go over seas get guilt-ed into thinking they are bad Christians because they don't feel like overseas missions is what they are supposed to. But what if you are supposed to live for Him right here where you live? You obviously live where you live and work where you work for a reason, so why not do what God is asking you to do right where He has placed you right now?

I like the way the book ends, because it allows you that option. If you are called to sell your car and take public transportation, then do it! If you are called to work hard and be a light at your place of work, then do it! The only warning the book gives is to not wait to do what God calls you to do until you feel good about it. If He has told you to do it, then obey. I remember being told growing up that "delayed obedience is disobedience." It's true! If God tells you to do something RIGHT NOW, then you darn well better do it NOW. But don't do what He has not asked you to do. He will support you when you obey Him, but doing something because someone else tells you to, or makes you feel guilty for not doing is not an act of love.

We are called to love God with our whole hearts, and as a result, we need to be ready and willing to do His bidding, regardless of what it is. So get off your butt, give up your mediocre life, and live like God has called you to live.

Judgment

So something I realized the other day after a conversation I had with a friend was that those of us Christians of the "Evangelical" or more correctly protestant side of things tend to feel like they have the right to decide, among Christian denominations, which denominations are Christian, and which are not. Obviously the most common belief is that liturgical churches are wrong, and all of their members are just as lost as the people we witness to on missions trips. What gives us the right to decide that? It's true that the two types of churches have very different practices and beliefs, but the majority of them agree on the fundamentals of Christianity. The most common argument, of course is that liturgical churches are "dead" or "legalistic" and therefore practice works based salvation rather than faith based salvation. But just because you don't understand something doesn't make it legalistic "works based" salvation.

The other argument I have heard a lot is that of the people who go to liturgical churches, the majority of them are the kind that just go through motions without really believing. Ummm...judgment? Yea. I can't count the number of people I know or knew growing up at a protestant (Baptist) church who were there on sunday mornings and wednesday nights who no more acted like Christians than their athiest friends at school. For some reason though, protestants have decided it is their job to make everyone believe the same way they do. Yet for some reason, the people on the other end of the spectrum have no problem with believing that protestants are Christians.

It seems to me that the problem is the same, and the results are the same. Those who really live out their faith are the ones who are truly saved, regardless of what church they attend. Some of the people who are loved the most in the Christian community went to Liturgical churches. C.S. Lewis would be a great example. No one in their right mind would question his salvation, yet there seems to be an overall consensus that if you go to a liturgical church and are a Christian you are the distinct minority. Why don't we try backing off a little bit and instead of witnessing to them, treating them like the brothers and sisters in Christ that they are?

Perelandra and Preface to Paradise Lost

For the C.S. Lewis class i am (re)taking this semester, I had to write a paper critically comparing Perelandra and Preface to Paradise Lost. I found that towards the end, it sounded a bit like a book review, which was not my goal, but might make for interesting reading for you. Therefore, I give you a brief blurb of what I wrote.

Perelandra shows what might have happened if Eve had not given in to Satan, while Preface to Paradise Lost shows exactly what Satan was capable of. He is the bad guy in either situation. Perelandra is a good way to look at the situation because it shows what we are capable of, even today.

While it is nice to look at the story, and understand that it would have been possible for Eve to have chosen otherwise, it makes no sense for us to only look at it in such a way because then all we do is blame Eve more for the decision she made. Instead, it would be far more helpful for us to look at it as a means to say no today. We do have the ability to say no to the temptations Satan brings our way because we are Christians and are given the ability by God. As Christians, we have been made perfect, just like Adam and Eve were perfect when they were created. It is the state of perfection that allows us to say no. Preface to Paradise Lost also gives us this option. By focusing on Satan as the bad guy, instead of Eve as the one who made a bad decision, or even as the helpless victim, we are shown that we do have strength to say no whenever we are tempted by Satan.

Because of this knowledge, these two books are immensely helpful in our Christian walk. They work in Tandem with the Bible to give us practical advice and solid examples of how we can do what God asks of us. In so doing, they empower us to live as God wants us to live, and therefore allow us to defeat Satan on a daily basis. He may be the bad guy, but he is powerless, if we choose to make him powerless.

Outside of Time

Over the summer, I read Mere Christianity. One of the things Lewis talks about in it is how God is outside of time, and as a result, our timeline is always his present. He used it to explain why God knows what the future will be and therefore knows what is best for us. The question that it brought to my mind, however, was one dealing with Christ on the Cross. If our past, present and future are all present for God, then that means that right now, Christ, being bound to the limits of time while He was a man, is still on the Cross, He is still dead, and He is resurrected. It also means that in God's frame of reference, Adam and Eve have not yet sinned, but at the same time, Cain has already killed Abel. This also means that each of us has already died. We have already made every single decision we will ever make.

This sort of leads to a greater question about free will. In that case, we really do have free will, God just has the foreknowledge of what our choices will be. That being the case, could our lives turn out any differently than they do? If we have already made our decisions before we are ever even born, then it seems unlikely that our path could be anything but what it is. We don't know what it will be, but God does, and has planned accordingly.

Kind of cool to think about, but also sort of saddening. While I know that Christ is in heaven, it's hard to think of God looking down and seeing His son on the cross. That doesn't change. It also Sort of brings new meaning to the idea that we put Christ on the cross every time we sin. It's true. God knew every choice we would make in advance, which is why Christ could die for our sins in advance, but it still makes me sad to think about. It also makes me want to live a more godly life. Kind of like a challenge. :)

Devotional thoughts

I just started going through the book "Praying the Names of God" with my mom this morning, and one of the things that came up as we were talking about it this morning was this. When Jesus cried out to God on the cross, he used the name Eloi, which is a form of the word Elohim, meaning God of gods. This particular name denotes God's power and authority. He did not use Abba or any other name that would appeal to God's love and compassion, instead he appealed to his power and authority. Doing show shows us that he was acknowledging God's ability to change the situation if he so chose. He had the power to take Jesus down off the cross, yet he chose to turn his back on him for the moment that Jesus was carrying the sins of the world. Jesus wasn't asking God to take pity on him, he wasn't asking for compassion. He was asking why God, who had the power to do otherwise, continued to allow Jesus to experience the excruciating pain of the cross. The reason is this: God really could not do anything different because of his justice. In his power and authority he knew that if he wanted to spend eternity with us one day, Jesus must endure this. God chose us over his son. That to me is the most powerful form of love you can imagine.

just for fun

Last fall I took a class on feminism, and one day the professor gave us a handout titled "How to be a Good Wife." It is rumored to come form a 1950's home economics textbook, but SNOPES couldn't confirm. Either way, it's pretty fun to read, mostly because of the differences between what was expected then and what is expected now. Enjoy :)

Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal -- on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

Clear away the clutter: Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too.

Prepare the children: take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Minimize all noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.

Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

new people

I made a new friend a few weeks ago. He is the housemate of a friend of mine, so we've only really been in contact a few times, but each time he's been polite, fun, a gentleman...just an all around nice guy. Makes me think "why can't you be a Christian?" It's nice to be treated really well, especially by someone you hardly know.