Forward Progress

Vader, Did You Know?

Posted by MK | Filed under Just for Fun, Pop Culture, Videos

A truly moving holiday tribute today.

To Climb or Not To Climb…

Posted by MK | Filed under Bible Study

I haven’t climbed a tree in years.

His heart was beating fast now, though he didn’t really understand why. But he had a growing sense that things in his life were coming to a head. A culmination. Something was getting ready to happen.

The branches are low enough. I could do it, you know. I could…

Never before had he been so upset to be short, and he had been upset about it plenty. There were the calls and nicknames from the boys when he was growing up, but then he had showed them hadn’t he? He was the one who had the important job now. He was the one they had to be nice to because he was, in large part, in control of their livelihood. He had proven his importance and put his thumb of authority down on top of those same people who had made up those silly songs about his height. He had more money, more power, and more prestige than any of them had. But now, there was this whole issue of height. He simply couldn’t see, but he wanted to. He wanted it more than anything he had wanted in a long time.

It’s the only way, right? If I want to see, I’ve got to climb. I can’t push through this crowd.

His feet were twitching now. He was moving back and forth, a kind of nervous dance. He knew his anxiety and excitement weren’t logical. Who was this he wanted to see so badly anyway? A teacher? A magician? A miracle worker? Or was he something else. It was this thought that had made the well dressed but small man consider the unthinkable.

What would people think? I’ve got a reputation to think about it. I’m sure they would make up whole new songs about me now. The short man climbing a tree. Foolishness. Right?

Foolishness, of course. But then again, not much in his life made sense any more. He no longer was satisfied with the accumulation of more and more wealth. The pursuit of power over others seemed more and more empty. He had been asking questions, at least in his own mind, that were of a foreign sort. His life seemed devoid of meaning, and he was looking… for something anyway. And now, in his robes, he was standing on the edge of the road, looking into the distance. Jesus was passing through, and the tax collector couldn’t shake the idea that this mysterious man walking through Jericho was was he was looking for. The only way for him to see Jesus was to go up. To climb.

To climb or not to climb? To risk or not to risk? The tree is right there. I know I could get high enough.

He took a tentative step forward. Then another. Then he grabbed hold of the low branches and swung a leg up. He looked around briefly. The crowd was coming, the noise growing louder. Up and up and up. His heart beat faster and faster and faster. Still he climbed. He was sweating now through the weight of his clothes. They were right below Him now, teeming with excitement. The leaves got thicker as he edged forward… and then he saw Him. And something burst inside of Zaccheus. He froze, straddling a branch of the sycamore tree. It was a feeling like he’d never experienced, for to his great surprise, the man wasn’t looking at the crowd. He wasn’t glad-handing the people around Him, nor was He looking forward where He was going.

He was looking into the tree. And for a moment, Zaccheus was crushed.

Great. He’s looking up here. Now everyone else is looking up here, too. Here it comes – the jeering and mocking, just like when I was a kid.

“Come down, Zaccheus.”

And then he knew. He could never, in the days that followed, know exactly how he knew. It wasn’t quite a feeling, but something more. But as he scurried down the tree, he was absolutely convinced that though he was anxious, though he had climbed the tree, though he had wanted just one glimpse of Jesus…

He knew that Jesus had really been looking for him.

–

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).

Fridays Are For One Question

Posted by MK | Filed under Fridays Are For One Question

Confession time – I’ve been listening to Christmas music since the second week in November.

There. I said it. And I’m okay with it, because I LOVE CHRISTMAS MUSIC.

I recognize, however, that there are two kinds of Christmas music:

Good and bad. So let’s focus on the second today:

“What is the worst Christmas song ever?”

Licentiousness and Legalism at the Kitchen Table

Posted by MK | Filed under Parenting, Theology

“I wish there were no rules.”

That’s what my 7-year-old said at dinner the other night when he was confronted (again) with the answer of “no” for something he wanted to do (I think it involved eating peas). He’s living under the mindset right now that the rules are there to cramp his style. They deny him freedom to do what he really wants to do and if all these restraints were lifted, his life would be much happier.

This is a lie ingrained into our hearts.

“I love the rules.”

That’s what the 4-year-old sitting across from him said with a glint of pride in her eye. She lives to please authority right now, and does not think of herself as sinful in any way, shape or form. Obeying fills her with pride, and she can’t imagine that anything in her heart might need to be changed because she is very proficient at following the rules. If, in fact, there were more and more rules she would be much happier because she would know exactly what the minimum was expected of her and she could perform accordingly.

This is a lie ingrained into our hearts.

Licentiousness and legalism sitting there together at the kitchen table, one believing that the rules deny him happiness and one believing that the rules justify her.

And the gospel is for both.

Thank God the gospel frees us from the lie that sin is freedom and happiness and moves us toward the joy of obedience and intimacy. And thank God the gospel frees us from the lie that we are “okay” and makes us into the humble people that are “okay” because of Christ alone.

And thank God that the gospel is still for a dad who from one day to another needs grace to love both of these kids in good – and hard – ways.

How “A Charlie Brown Christmas” Almost Didn’t Happen

Posted by MK | Filed under Current Events, Pop Culture

My kids and I are thankful that it did:

What people don’t know is that the Christmas special almost didn’t happen, because some not-so-smart television executives almost didn’t let it air. You see, Charles Schulz had some ideas that challenged the way of thinking of those executives 46 years ago, and one of them had to do with the inclusion in his Christmas cartoon of a reading from the King James Bible’s version of the Gospel of Luke.

Read the rest here.

(HT:TWax)

Finishing Well

Posted by MK | Filed under Marriage, Videos

This man, Dr. Robert Mounce, wrote the textbook that taught me Greek.

He’s president emeritus of Whitworth College, has served as an important biblical commentator (especially on the book of Revelation in the NICNT series) and as a Bible translator (involved early on in the translation of the NIV and serving on the translation committee of the ESV—where he served with his son Bill, author of the widely used Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar).

A filmmaker was recently able to capture a brief snapshot of Dr. Mounce as he cares for his beloved wife through her extended illness. Dr. Mounce will be 90 at the end of the year, and his wife is 91.

This is a beautiful picture of finishing well.

(HT: JT)

Six Lessons from a Year of Family Devotions

Posted by MK | Filed under Parenting

This past December, I finally sucked it up and started fumbling my way through leading our family in morning devotions. It’s been a wonderful, and frustrating, experience, and after 12 solid months, I think we’re in it to win it. That is, because we have consistently done this for a year, our kids now know it’s an essential part of what we do as a family.

So maybe some of these things might be help to you, from one dad who is still growing into a spiritual leader in the home, and making plenty of mistakes along the way.

1. Don’t go at it alone. This isn’t just about a husband and wife working together (although if you have that option, it’s obviously helpful). It’s about using a tool to help you. It’s incredibly intimidating to sit with youf family with only the Bible in hand and open it up and read. I think that probably works better when the kids are a bit older, but for now, we’ve found the book, Long Story Short and The Jesus Storybook Bible to be really age appropriate and helpful tools that make family devotion time manageable.

2. Mix it up. There are certain components we have every morning, as guided by the books above. We always pray. We always talk through a Bible passage. But some mornings I ask the kids to act out a scene. Every Friday we ask each kid specifically what they’re thankful or how we can pray specifically for them (most of the time Christian says “milk” for both). But it helps to keep things interesting.

3. Be ready. This has been key for us. In order to make sure we have time before school for devotions, Jana and I have to get up earlier than we used to. We have to be completely ready for the day with breakfast going with the kids get up at 7 (and they get up at 7 every stinking morning). It often means that I read through the devotion the night before. Anything we can do to make the morning run more smoothly is helpful.

4. Make connections to reinforce the whole story of the Bible. I don’t think I’ll ever forget a week ago when we were in the book of Joshua talking through the story of Rahab. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, it’s an incredible gospel-laced account of a woman of questionable reputation who was saved from destruction. And how was she saved? Because she put a red rope on her door, marking her house to be spared. And the lights came on for the kids:

“Do you guys remember any other people that put something red on their doors?”

“Yeah. Like when that angel killed people.”

“Correct. It was the Passover. And why was that called the Passover?”

“Because the angel passed over their houses.”

“And what did the Israelite army do to Rahab’s house?”

“They passed over it.”

And so on it went, eventually to remind us that the wrath of God passes over us because our lives are marked with something red – the blood of Jesus. The kids thought this was genuinely exciting, and they felt genuinely smart because they saw how it all fit together.

5. Think about the long term. There are spiritual moments with your children that are paper thin, and they don’t seem to happen that often. It’s those times when you really sense they are understanding the nature of sin and our great need for forgiveness, and then they’re thinking about Pokemon again. Paper thin moments, but they’re there.

Every morning isn’t a home run. Sometimes it’s a sacrifice bunt that you believe that God will somehow use in the story of their lives. So we choose, by faith, not to be discouraged, but instead to believe in a God who is drawing our kids’ hearts to Himself.

6. Show up. This is the biggest one I think. Just show up. It’s hard to get started. Harder still to maintain. But if we really believe in the power of God and the power of the Bible, then just show up at the table every morning. And then tomorrow, show up again.

Fridays Are For One Question

Posted by MK | Filed under Friends to Check Out

File this one in the “of course” category. Reports are that Joel Osteen will soon have his own reality show, courtesy of the creator of shows like Survivor – Mark Burnett. According to the report:

“Survivor” producer Mark Burnett is teaming up with Joel Osteen for a primetime network show in 2012, TMZ has learned.

Burnett tells TMZ, the premise of the show is that ordinary people will give up several days or longer to go on a mission with Joel Osteen, one of the most popular pastors in the world. All of the missions will be in the confines of US soil to “start fixing things.”

So today’s question is simple:

“What should the Osteen’s reality show be called?”

“We live in a culture that grows more stupid and graceless by the moment.”

Posted by MK | Filed under Current Events, Videos

The best part of the NFL on Sundays is Bob Costas’ monologue as halftime closes during Sunday Night Football. It’s articulate and thought-provoking and wonderfully entertaining. This week was no exception, as Bob took aim at the ridiculous antics of players after they do what they’re paid to do – perform well:

The Redemptive Purpose of Tendinitis

Posted by MK | Filed under Bible Study, Theology

Boy my shoulder hurts. I know that sounds like a small thing, and in truth, it really is. I’m not taking chemotherapy pills, nor do I have a surgery scheduled that will take me out of working or parenting commission. But it hurts.

It hurts a lot especially when I’m trying to throw around three kids who, by this time, have a near nightly expectation of a fairly rambunctious wrestling match in the living room.

It also hurts my pride a bit because this, along with other things, remind me that my body isn’t what it once was. Not that I’ve ever been on the cover of any magazines, but I am feeling a bit more rickety these days than I once was. My body, like everyone else’s isn’t getting better. It’s getting worse. It’s in a state of decay, and the tendonitis in my shoulder which flares every time I lift a little boy over my head is a constant reminder of that decay.

Now there’s a couple of things I can do here. One, I can mourn the loss of my youth which is rapidly fading away (or potentially already out the door). Such mourning might indeed push me into efforts to regain my youth which might encompass any number of things. Extra marital affairs, eating disorders, obsessive exercise – these all might come from such a spirit.

Or I can embrace what the Spirit seems to be saying. He seems to be telling me to rejoice in my tendonitis. Rejoice in the decay of the body. Praise God for this tangible reminder that what we have on this earth is temporary.

According to Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5, our bodies are like tents. And no one wants to live in a tent. They want a house.

So when the flaps start blowing in the breeze, when the rain drips through the ceiling, and when the temperature gets too cold for the canvas to keep out, we can look to the better home being prepared for us in Christ.

Thank God for tendinitis:

¹ For we know that if our earthly house, a tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ² And, in fact, we groan in this one, longing to put on our house from heaven, ³ since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ Indeed, we who are in this tent groan, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ And the One who prepared us for this very thing is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.