A woman at my church gave me a Christianity Today article the other day because it had an interview with Tim Keller. And she knows I’m quite a fan. Below is a quote from that article.

“C.S. Lewis said not to believe in Christianity because it’s relevant or exciting or personally satisfying. Believe because its true. And if its true, it eventually will be relevant, exciting, and personally satisfying. To be a Christian is going to be very hard. So unless you come to it simply because it’s really the truth, you really won’t live the Christian life, and you won’t get to the excitement, the relevance, and all that other stuff.”

If we don’t come to Christ because he is truly the Savior of the world, the one who has/is/will bring about restoration of the entire cosmos, but instead to make us feel good, we will not make it through trials. I’m reminded on the parable of the seed and the sower (the seed with shallow roots who received the message with joy but pulled away because of trial). Personal satisfaction and joy can be lost during periods of our Christian walk. Sometimes all we have to fall back on is the truth. I would imagine we’ve all experienced that.

But on the other hand, to see Jesus as only true and not relevant, exciting, and personally satisfying is also a danger (Keller and Lewis are not saying this, mind you, they are just arguing the order). Lately I’ve been reading through the book of John and have seen Jesus revealing himself as the true fulfillment of our desire to worship something. When he approaches the woman at the well in chapter 4, he explains to her that he is “living water” and that “she will never thirst” if he gives her a drink.

It seems pretty clear from John 4 that Jesus is personally satisfying, and that as a result of being satisfied in Him, she will not continue to have a ton of husbands and lovers. For she will be able to worship in Spirit and in Truth.

I think its another one of those BOTH/AND things. Jesus has to be true. And we have to receive him as the truth without waiting for any emotional response. But glorifying Him and enjoying Him forever is the chief end of man (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q#1). Therefore we must call people in the church and outside of not to neglect the normative (truth) or the existential (experiential) components of our rich faith. I’m going to try to present both realities side by side, still understanding that the truth will eventually produce joy and deep satisfaction (if it doesn’t at the time of reception).

I really don’t want to be ‘that guy.’ The guy who lives out his competitive spirit through his kids. No one likes ‘that guy.’ No one wants to be ‘that guy.’ No one expects to be ‘that guy.’ Yet I wonder if I’m not heading toward a nasty collision of becoming ‘that guy.’

I can already see the seeds of ‘that guy’ in my own heart. Let me explain. For most guys, everything is a competition. Everything is a race. Yes, even their child’s growth. While Connar is 30% in head circumference (I’ve given up hope for this one since I have such a small head), he is in the 90% in height and close to it in weight. And that makes me a little too excited. I want him to beat everyone.

I was even glad that Connar weighed a few pounds more than my neighbor’s kid despite being 6 weeks younger. And I continue to hope he can ‘beat’ other older kids. But I’m realizing that the distance between pride over his growth and putting pressure on him to beat other kids in fishing, baseball, or pranks is not so great. Not so great at all.

I’m not that far from becoming ‘that guy.’ It will only be by God’s grace that I don’t become ‘that guy.’ However, I still have the responsibility to actively repent (from my insecurity-its alright to lose) and believe (that Christ has already fully accepted me despite my insufficiency-he’s made me ‘man enough.’) Now I’m off for another late night Connar feeding. Let’s see if I he can make a PR (personal record) and sleep longer than 4 hours….

On Thursday night, our family went to a really nice steak house in Tampa called Bern’s Steak House. Its an expensive and upscale joint. Even the waiters have to work themselves up from the bottom to make it that ‘high.’ And I’m sure they do quite well.

Anyhow, our waiter was from the Philadelphia area, and I asked him if he was a Philly fan. He told me since he’d been down here 20 years, he pulls for the Rays. So we got talking about the great game on Wed night. The comeback. The drama. The excitement.

Another gentlemen from an adjacent table took notice. He chimed in with his thoughts on the game and Rays. Soon we were all coming together in bringing forth our praises of our beloved Rays. Each had a slightly different experience and angle. Yet we were all in unified in our praise.

To me that’s worship. Different folks with different backgrounds coming together with different experiences, and slighlty different reasons for thanksgiving. Yet all come with a unified understanding that God has granted us access to His throne of glory through the blood of Christ. Skipping out on Sunday worship is like enjoying a great baseball team like the Rays, and yet not being able to share with anyone, “Did you see that amazing 6 run seventh inning against the Red Sox?”

BTW-I Just saw this article from the St. Pete times. In case you needed some more reasons to hate the Red Sox, click here for some fodder. It was in the St. Pete Times today.

I don’t think I’ll ever walk outside the front door again. Yesterday Amy informed me that a big black snake noticed her as she came in from getting the mail. As I went out to look in the yard, I saw nothing. That is until out of the corner (or middle, perhaps it was the middle) of my eye, the black racer suddenly earned its name. It raced toward the front door where Amy was haplessly standing. It literally footed (‘inch’ isn’t a good word, it was moving too fast) right over Amy’s feet. It could have bit her if it wanted. And I’ve heard they can.

Amy jumped inside as it tried to literally come through the door. Then it turned its attention to me, heading straight toward me at about 45 mph. Easily that fast. I yelled out for help, or back-up, and ran for the garage.

We both survived this brief scare and our heart rate dropped down to normal exercise levels after 15 minutes. Fortunately Connar was inside with Grandma and slept through it all. Gosh I hate snakes.

I found him again and watched him as he slithered through to the back of the yard. I should have ‘shoveled’ him to death. But I guess he eats rats or something like that. He better eat his weight in rats, or else it wouldn’t have been worth it to let him live. Gosh I hate snakes. Hope you can stay snake free.

Sometimes I feel like a politician. Let me explain. I have several folks in my church that seem to scour the internet, magazines, and other resources, and bring stuff to my attention. I’ve never been a politician before, but I think that they have like tons of people who work for them, always keeping them abreast on what’s happening. Maybe I’m wrong. But they sure do have such teams on movies. Anyhow, one such folk who sends me updates throughout the week, sent this link to me a week or so ago.

It’s from the Colbert Report. N.T. Wright, an Anglican bishop, wrote a book called Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the mission of the Church. Colbert invited him on his show to discuss it. Click here to see the clip. You really ought to do so. Its both humorous and truthful.

I would not direct anyone to N.T. Wright to gain insight into the issue of “justification.” However, when it comes to a picture of heaven, resurrection, and the responsibility of the church to be engaged in building the Kingdom, I think he hits it on the nose. At least that’s what others I trust have told me. And certainly what he says in this clip seems to be “Wright on.” Sorry I had too. I really did. A muse was holding me at proverbial gunpoint, and looking quite trigger happy. Really.

Richard Pratt, a professor of mine, taught a lot of the same stuff about the kingdom as N.T. Wright, and did so without questioning the standard understanding of justification. And since he’s not a Brit, he gives it a baseball analogy (which I can’t expect from a cricket person). Heaven is like third base and the New Heavens and New Earth are the home plate: final destination for all believers.

In summary, I think Wright does a fantastic job getting this message out to the “masses,” fighting against the short time allotted him and Colbert’s intermittent disruptions (which do make it funny.) It’s worth your 5 minutes.

I went over to a friends apartment Sunday evening. She was having a housewarming party for her new place (which is why you have housewarming parties). Obviously I couldn’t pass up this chance to support her in her hospitality. That’s one of the drums I tirelessly beat.

So I got the OK from Amy and Connar to head over there for a bit. After some time, most folks had left with the exception of a smattering of youth and young adults. For some reason we began to talk about movies. And talk we did. I gained some more insight into Lars and Real Girl and got some recommendations for some other movies.

Then I realized that movies were one thing that this group of folks had in common. It wasn’t fishing. It certainly wasn’t football, or Rays baseball for that matter. Though it should be, since they just beat the evil chowder heads.

It was movies. I realized then that I probably needed to be more aware of what my flock, and my generation, was watching. Two thoughts. At least its not 3 points, like most of my sermons!

1.) I need to be know how to minister the timeless truth of the gospel to my particular cultural setting. Seeing movies and how folks interact with them aids in that process.

2.) Sometimes football is the great equalizer. Dudes can sit and talk about it for a while. But in my setting, football hasn’t been a big connecting point within my church. Yet no one (ages 16-30) was quiet on the topic.

My time that evening really challenged me to be not only a better interpreter of scripture but of my culture. One can’t have any impact if he/she does not become students of both.

Now if I were in Berkely, California, like some pastors I know, I would probably need to read more than watch. It is a highly intellectual post-Christian area and would require my reading stack to look differently than it does here. The pastors there are always referencing books I’ve never heard of. But they wouldn’t do the same thing if they were planting a church in Bradenton.

But since I live here, and now that Amy and I are fairly sequestered, I plan on renting a number of movies. My biggest problem is returning them on time….

BTW-when I got home to watch my Dateline special, I found this little joker in MY seat. I had to let it slide. This time.

Tonight, Monday June 30th, marks the first time the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays play since their infamous brawl a few weeks back. To make matters worse, Coco Crisp, who started the whole fracas, appealed his suspension and had it reduced from 7 games to 5 games. While a Rays player who was barely involved in the incident, received a 3 games suspension losing his appeal. Not really sure how that works.

Crisp will be serving his suspension, and wisely so, during this series. MLB has sent extra security to the game to stop any extra curricular activity. It should be fun to watch.

Adding fuel to the fire is a quote from one of the Boston pitchers: “Payback is a b%$*%.”

A few things. While sometimes I think it would be cool to be a professional athlete, I’m not sure I would be able to keep my cool and honor Christ in times such as these. I know my wife would attest. So I’m glad I’m not a professional baseball player. Or basketball, or football player for that matter. It would be harder in those more contact sports.

Another thing is simply a question: when will it end? I would have thought that an all out team fight would have ended the bad blood. But it certainly hasn’t. These teams will be hating each other for years. While it does make for exciting baseball (drama always does, though this is more like an action film), it does raise a question: when will bad blood end? What will it take?

The Jews and Palestinians will never not have bad blood. Neither will other violent racist groups. Forgiveness really can’t happen without some sort of payment; and neither side can afford to pay it. It’s a perennial “I got you last” game. No one likes to be hit last. We can’t leave it at that. Unless there is an atoning sacrifice.

And Paul believes that sacrifice has a racial and relational component, writing “for he himself is our peace, who has made us (Jews and Gentiles) both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility….” So if Christ is the common ground, there is hope because He has paid the price. He was the one who was “hit last.” And so the “I got you last game” can end. If only more Christians believed that.

Right now, as I’m writing this, I’ve reached a new level of multi-tasking. I’m blogging with my 4 week-old on my lap. That is until he wakes up. I’m not that good yet.

I preached last week on the Parable of the Seeds and the Sower. If you want to listen to it, click here. Anyhow, I thought about illustrating the seeds that fell on rocky ground with some well known folks. In the parable, these seeds fell on rocky soil, and had no roots. When hardship came, they withered away.

There have been some famous folks who have received the gospel message with joy at first, but then they seemed to have departed the faith (either through lifestyle or profession). Darryl Strawberry, my favorite baseball player at the time (also the player whose swing I modeled my left handed wiffle-ball swing after) had a huge conversion experience but since has been through several wives, numbers of arrests, and drug and alcohol treatments. Yet I researched him the other day and found he had started an autistic foundation. I think he’s still involved in a church.

Bob Dylan was another one who came to mind. He had the conversion experience and even recorded several gospel albums and used to preach at people in concert. Yet he retreated from this upfront Christian persona, and left to join some Jewish study group some years later. However, in a 2003 interview he explained that he had studied with this group as a Christian. Apparently he still performs some of his Christian songs in concert. Now I would rather hear him read than hear him sing. Certainly the best and most prolific song writer the world has known, Dylan’s voice has not aged like wine. I’d say its been more like milk.

Regardless it was encouraging to see that these two still professed faith. After researching them, I realized they would have made bad illustrations. And besides, the debate over whether or not their faith is legitimate faith is not our debate. According to the parable, the good seeds will land on fertile soil and there will be fruit. Though they may turn away for a time, they will persevere until the end. So if they are truly believers, they will repent and believe until the end. The same expectation we should have with ourselves.

A few weekends ago I watched a movie called Lars and the Real Girl. Its a different movie. Very different. But quite clever. Ryan Gosling’s character is a little loopy in the ahead and very aloof. That is, until he orders a life sized doll named Bianca who he begins to seriously date. And interact with. Seriously.

The reaction of this small northern town is surprisingly positive. Different folks have different reactions, but overall there is a beautiful picture of community. I highly recommend this movie. Its even fairly clean as far as I can remember.

However a few thoughts ran through my mind throughout this clever, yet bizarre movie: is it loving to go along with something that is simply not true (a doll being real)? If I were a bit messed up in the head (a bit MORE messed up than I am now) and I brought home a doll for a fishing partner (I’m already married so let’s nix that scenario) would you go along with it? Would there be certain circumstances which would mitigate certain responses? Would it be loving to go along with it for a certain time? Indefinitely? Forever? Would you suspend the truth for a time-if I couldn’t handle the truth at that time-and patiently bear with my idiosyncrasy?

Just some thoughts which popped into my head. If you’ve seen the movie, please respond. Even if you haven’t, go for it. But I do highly recommend it, for whatever that recommendation is worth. Even Christianity Today ranked it among their top 10 redeeming movies of 2007. Click here to read a review.

And if your name is Sonia, and haven’t seen the baby pictures, click here.