Category Archives: bible

Living a WYSIWYG life

Posted on May 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Confession: When it comes to characters in the Bible that I admire I would have to say it’s David hands down. The passion for God, the ability to give bears, lions, and giants a good thrashin, and his amazing leadership are all something I want to emulate. But most of all it’s his authenticity with God and with people that makes him one of my favorites. That being said when I answer the question: who in the Bible am I most like? I would have to say Jacob. The liar. The manipulator. The deceiver. The supplanter. Now in my younger days it was boldfaced streaking in the park lies. Outright lies that were clearly black and white but later on I acquired a new skill. I learned how to manipulate people with my words, to give an appearance of truth. To avoid actual lying by nodding my head, using the right language, or by not saying anything at all. I learned how to be inauthentic. I learned to act like everything was ok when I was furiously raging inside (pastors are good at this). I learned to give the impression that I liked certain things just to get along and keep relationships peaceful (wives hate this). By doing all that I actually made things worse for myself and for others. Over the past few years I have been in the pursuit of living an authentic WYSIWYG life and it has been joyful and heart wrenching to reach for such a lofty goal.

The Ideal: When it comes to authenticity someone greater than David comes to mind-Jesus. Looking at the Gospels we get a close up glimpse of a life of integrity. Jesus pulled no punches whether he was addressing Pharisees, political figures, or prostitutes. He was always the same and those around him never had to guess what he was about or his feelings towards them. He truly lived a WYSIWYG life.

WYSIWYG is an acronym in the computer world for What You See Is What You Get. It describes a system in which the content you have been editing closely resembles the finished product. So instead of a lot of code you mostly get the content. That’s the way I want to live my life. How about you?

The Remedy: Like me, your life may closely resemble Jacob’s or his grandfather Abraham’s (the guy lied and said his wife was his sister just to save his own neck) and not the life of David or Jesus. The question then becomes How do I live an authentic WYSIWYG life? Here are a couple of suggestions:

Silence and solitude

Go off to the park or even the mountains. Get away to some secluded place and begin to sense who you are in God’s eyes. Most of our inauthenticity comes from an unhealthy attachment to people and detachment from God. Being in solitude and silence gives us time to be ourselves. You can’t get more authentic than that.

Root yourself in the love of God

Closely related to what was said above is rooting ourselves in the love of God. In the book of Ephesians Paul writes:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV)

Memorize and meditate on scripture that speaks of God’s love for you. Personalize it. Why? Most of our inauthenticity is motivated by an unhealthy hunger for the “love” of others. When we are rooted in God’s love we know the love of others is false and cannot be relied on and we can trust that our authentic self is forever loved by God.

Take action

Do something you have always wanted to do but fear has held you back. Each time that fear held you back your authentic self went into a corner to hide. It’s time to bring him or her out. Whatever that thing is stop making excuses and take action! Whether it’s learning to do martial arts or getting on stage and performing or asking that girl out face your fears and your authentic self will come shining through.

So there is my confession and hopefully some good tips for all of you fellow travelers on the journey to an authentic WYSIWYG life.

What about you, Do you have any other tips on how to become a truly authentic person?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in personal, bible, change, spirituality, personal development, faith

Tagged , , , , ,

Defining racism in the 21st century pt 3

Posted on May 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Continuing our series on Defining racism in the 21st century is Steven Hamilton. He and a few others from Marycommunity’s I expand the kingdom through a community of faith in Pittsburgh, Pa. You can find his musings on theology and the church on his blog Verve and Verse

So without further adieu….

The Devil Does Business at the Crossroads

There is a postscript to the myth that at the crossroads where blues-legend Robert Johnson made his pact with the devil, Robert all ready possessed the sound that caused the strings on his guitar to vibrate, hum, and sing with a sound dark and blue, those beautiful, soulful chords and notes. The devil took advantage of something that was all ready happening and deceived Robert in the bargain. I think as we wrestle with the question Ramon has proposed, What is racism in the 21st century?, we are again in possession of something stirring deep in our collective souls that we need to trust to emerge with our intention rather than striking a deal with the devil.

When President Obama was elected in 2008, some of the initial talk moved toward saying that America was ‘post-racial’ and that race didn’t matter. Of course, as one Op-Ed from the New York Times pleads: “Race is like weather, we only talk about it when it’s extreme, but it’s always there.”

So, given this, what is racism in 21st century America? For myself, I’m always trying to ask the deeper question beyond the question or at least a clarifying question, so what do we mean by ‘racism’?

In their book, Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America, Michael Emerson and Christian Smith present the case that racial categories are socially constructed and thus, the social construct built to preference one race and discriminate against another allocates different economic, social, political and psychological rewards along racial lines. They say, “a racialized society is a society wherein race matters profoundly for differences in life experiences, life opportunities and social relationships.”

If racial categories are socially constructed, can’t we just de-construct and move on? Like our friend from the NYTimes Op-Ed piece, I don’t think so. This is an important undercurrent in America, and I believe the devil is busy doing business at the current cultural, ethnic, and racial crossroads. But let’s not take the devil’s deal that takes advantage of us and the issue. Let’s embrace the road toward a cruciform-shaped authenticity and reconciliation as our point of divergence. Race does matter, and it matters profoundly. But what if it matters differently than we suppose? What-if, we aren’t supposed to be color-blind? What-if the messy and complex in-breaking of God’s alternate reality embraces race and ethnicity beyond our ways of lowest-common-denominator?

[Anyone an old comic book collector in their youth like me? Remember the 'What-If' series from Marvel Comics? "The stories in this initial, 47-issue series (Feb. 1977 - Oct. 1984) utilized the alien Uatu the Watcher as narrator. The observer of events transpiring on Earth from his base on the moon, Uatu, a member of an immortal race of Watchers, is also able to observe what transpires in alternate realities. The What If stories usually began with Uatu briefly recapping a notable event in the mainstream Marvel Universe. He then indicated a particular point of divergence in that event, and demonstrated what would have happened if events had taken a different course from then.]

In an engaging way, James Chuong wrestles with our ‘what-if’ point of divergence in light of the touchstone of scripture:

Ethnicity Matters from InterVarsity twentyonehundred on Vimeo.

There is a great statue in Washington, DC that I often stop in the shade of and reflect on what it says. Chiseled at eye level is the phrase: What is Past is Prologue.

Can we listen together and search for the signs for the way forward at the crossroads of the 21st century America? The biblical move doesn’t ‘dumb-down’ our engagement and reconciliation, but rather ‘raises-up’ our engagement and asks that in owning our past, we wade into the messiness of our differences and all the misunderstandings and aching, unbelievable beauty there is in each of us, so that we can sing the blues together as we travel, in the words of Samuel Hines, reconciliation as a way of life.

Hmmm….

What would it look like to own the past (which is prologue) while at the same time look for a way forward?

How can we “reconciliation a way of life”?

How does race matter in your life?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in bible, faith, culture, Race, racism

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Even Christians want to get rid of religion???

Posted on April 27, 2012 | 10 Comments

The thoughts in this post are a work in progress so any feedback is definitely welcome

Often I hear Christians say something to the effect of “It’s not about religion it’s about relationship” or “I said goodbye to religion and hello to a relationship with God”. Apart from the triteness and obnoxiousness of the sayings (thinking you can reduce the mystery of the human encounter with God to a slogan) I have a problem with these sayings because I think it creates a false dichotomy between religion and “relationship” in order to sell the gospel. It makes religion out to be legalism and I don’t think legalism is a good definition of religion. Legalism is an approach you can take towards religion but it is not one and the same thing. Besides that, I believe that religion is a natural outgrowth of our human nature. As a Christian I have a vested interest in this because as Daniel Milgore has put it

“a Christian theology of religions has the distinct task of asking about the place of the plurality of world religions within the purposes of God made known in Jesus Christ” Faith Seeking Understanding p301

One of the Biblical texts that explores how followers of Christ ought to understand and relate to other religions is Acts 17 particularly Paul’s speech at the Areopagus. Here is an excerpt which I think points toward a better way to relate to other religions and Christianity as a religion:

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, (Acts 17:24-27 ESV)

Religion is a natural response to the human condition. Paul says in his speech that God determined humanity’s “allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place”. This suggests the finitude of humanity and how we are limited by geography, history, suffering, and most of all death in the next phrase he shows how this condition is the foundation of the desire for transcendence. We use religion to overcome this finitude and find the transcendent.

Religion is a culturally located response to the human condition. Seeing that humans are limited by the “allotted times and the boundaries of their dwelling place” the response of religion will look different in different geographic locations and different periods in history. Religion is expressed differently in different cultures while aiming at the same thing: transcendence

Religion is an imperfect response to to the human condition. While religion is to be affirmed as a natural and culturally relevant response to the human condition Paul also critiques it and shows that religion (and I would add Christian religion) comes up short. It is not the best way to reach the goal of transcendence. He says this search that God orchestrated contained the possibility that people might feel their way toward him. That word “feel” metaphorically means to mentally seek after tokens of a person or a thing. What Paul is saying is that religion can only give you tokens of God but not the full picture or experience of God. It is imperfect. At the same time he says that that “he is actually not far from each one of us” and he can be found in the person of Jesus Christ.

Now you might say because religion is an imperfect response then we don’t need it but I say think again. Although it is imperfect that does not negate the need for it. It is an imperfect response but it is a response and it helps to order our world. It brings people together in community and establishes the need for transcendence i.e. God Although Christians claim to have a “relationship” and not religion I would have to pushback and say that everything that is done within Christianity is religion: a natural, culturally located imperfect response to the human condition. And outside of the person of Christ everything else that is practiced within Christianity can only give us a token of the full picture or experience of God

What do you think?

→ 10 Comments

Posted in bible, culture, faith, spirituality

Tagged , , , , , ,

If I was stranded on a desert island…spiritual survival kit

Posted on April 17, 2012 | 2 Comments

One of my favorite movies is Castaway. Besides the great acting by Tom Hanks one of the reasons why I love it so much is the impossible situation he is faced with and how he managed to forge a life from the scarce resources that he could gather on the island. I am a big fan of shows like Survivor Manand Man vs. Wild (they need a female version of these shows just to balance things out. Women have to survive too. I’m just sayin) because they bring you back to the essentials you need to live-to survive.

One of my recent projects has been the altoid survival kit. It’s almost complete and will include:

20 iodine tablets
Magnesium fire starting stick and striker
Para Cord (wrap around tin)
Reflective tape (across top)
Ultra thin mirror (glue on inside bottom)
Ultra thin 20 millimeter AA liquid filled button compass
Anti diarrhea pills,
6 ibuprofen tablets
1 small packet of antibiotic ointment,
A small suture kit
A small wad duct tape neatly rolled over itself shiny side up
2 safety pins
2 feet aluminum foil into a tiny rectangle

But the most important thing I would take with me would be a copy of Romans 8. Why? Because I believe it is the greatest chapter in the Bible. It is poetic, inspirational, and theologically thick all at once. It is the gospel and the Christian life all compressed into one chapter. But the one thing that I believe is the shining quality of Romans 8 is it’s capacity to buoy hope.

Personally I have been in need of hope. After taking a paycut and experiencing a dark night of the soul brought on by a boatload of ministry stresses and failures it has been hard to see past the next day. Then I started memorizing and meditating on Romans 8 and things changed. I wasn’t even expecting them to and was only deciding to be faithful in digesting the Word. Grace can surprise us.

Let’s face it. Between the wars, natural disasters, racism, classism, divorce, poverty, and just plain old random bad days this life can be unrelentingly depressing and if you don’t have any hope you will be submerged in that depression. This world is desperately in need of hope and not just individualistic materialistic hope. No we need a hope that the birth pains we are experiencing will soon transition into cries of joy. That’s the kind of hope I would need on a deserted island and it is the ultimate hope for an entire planet stranded in a sea of despair

→ 2 Comments

Posted in bible, faith, inspiration, personal, spirituality

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Post Easter Blues: I am not worm food

Posted on April 11, 2012 | 2 Comments

“Let’s fight for every breath and tell death to go to hell”-Che Guevara in The Motorcycle Diaries

This past Sunday I enjoyed my 34th Easter service (yes I said Easter for all of you purists out there) which means that I have not missed one Easter Sunday since I was born. I even went to church on Easter when I was an almost certified heathen (I mean I didn’t do any jail time but I was in the holding tank :) This Easter was the most unusual because it was the first time I celebrated it as a citizen of the Burgh. It was also unusual because I went to two churches that day. At one service I worshipped outside early in the Pittsburgh cold at 6:30 in the morning. The next service was in New Castle, PA at my mother in law Rose Chapman’s church Prevailing Word. This service gave me the highlight of the day as the kids sang along to Jay Z’s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)”. A very eventful Easter but even more eventful because of the season I am experiencing in my life. A dry season. A dark night of the soul. Whatever you want to call it…it hurts

It amounts to many things that I am uncertain of. Whether or not at critical junctures in my life I heard the voice of God or was it just me really wanting something so bad that I made it “the voice of God”. I often question what approach to ministry I should have and whether I should ever be in “full time”ministry (whatever that means) ever again. I question whether getting a PhD is right for me or whether I will be squandering the most productive years of my life.

During this season I have had to struggle with the grim reality that I have lived a life that is not perfect. Nobody expected it to be but I can’t help but compare myself to others who have more money, education, fame, and success. They seem to have done well with their imperfection while I live with the sad consequences of mine.

The biggest question that I have had to struggle with: Is this all worth it? Why do I keep going on? Why even wrestle with these questions? Why continue to hang on to a God who actually promises pain and suffering as the natural outcome of living a life devoted to him (Mark 8:34)

Why?

The quick answer: I am not worm food. After all I have been through in the short time I have been on this earth the resurrection is the only thing that makes sense. Not that I was there 2000 years ago. None of us were there. No one can prove it either way. I just know that I am not worm food. Life is too beautiful to end that ugly. I will rise again. That is the only reason I have right now to not throw in the towel and give up. It is the hope that lies within me (1 Peter 3:15). So I sing the Post Easter blues knowing my hope lies ahead and I still have to go through some thangs before I reach my goal. It’s a hard knock life.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in bible, faith, inspiration, personal, spirituality

Tagged , , , , , ,

Hip Hop Hermeneutics: NI**AS IN PARIS vs NI**AS IN POOREST

Posted on April 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is the first of many installments of Hip Hop Hermeneutics. I will be taking a look at popular and underground Hip Hop songs and asking questions in order to analyze, critique, and interpret them from a Christian theological perspective. Hopefully we can gain greater insight into the plight and gifts of the youth of today. That being said, if you care more about the cuss words in these songs than learning from and listening to the voice of young people today then you got some mixed up priorities!

Let’s get it in…….

Ni**as in Paris

[Jay-Z]
So I ball so hard muhf*ckas wanna fine me
But first ni**as gotta find me
What’s 50 grand to a muhf*kaa like me
Can you please remind me?
This sh*t crazy
Ya’ll don’t know that don’t sh*t phase me
The Nets could go 0-82 and I look at you like this sh*t gravy Ball so hard,
This sh*t weird
We ain’t even spose to be here,
Ball so hard, Since we here
It’s only right that we be fair
Psycho, I’m liable to be go Michael
Take your pick, Jackson, Tyson, Jordan, Game 6
Got a broke clock, Rolleys that don’t tick tok
Audemars that losing time, Hidden behind all these big rocks I’m shocked
Too, I’m supposed to be locked up too
If you escaped what I’ve escaped
You’d be in Paris getting f*cked up too
Let’s get faded, Le Meurice for like 6 days
Gold bottles, scold models, Spillin’ Ace on my sick J’s
B**ch behave, Just might let you meet Ye,
Chi towns D. Rose, I’m movin’ the Nets to BK

[Hook]
Ball so hard muhf*ckas wanna fine me
That sh*t crazy (x6)

She said Ye can we get married at the mall?
I said look you need to crawl ‘fore you ball
Come and meet me in the bathroom stall
And show me why you deserve to have it all
That sh*t crazy, Ain’t it Jay?
What she order, fish filet
Your whip so cold, this old thing Act like you’ll ever be around muhf***as
Like this again
Bougie girl, grab her hand
F**k ol girl she don’t wanna dance
Excuse my French but I’m in France (I’m just sayin)
Prince William’s ain’t do it right if you ask me
Cause if I was him I would have married Kate &a Ashley
What’s Gucci my ni**a?
What’s Louie my killa?
What’s drugs my deala?
What’s that jacket, Margiela?
Doctors say I’m the illest
Cause I’m suffering from realness
Got my niggas in Paris
And they going gorillas, huh!

[Jay-Z]
Ball so hard muhf*ckas wanna fine me
Ball so hard muhf*ckas wanna fine me

[Kanye West]
You are now watching the throne
Don’t let me get in my zone (x3)
These other niggaas is lyin
Actin’ like the summer ain’t mine

[Jay-Z]
I got that hot b**ch in my home

[Kanye West]
You know how many hot b**ches I own
Don’t let me in my zone (x4)
The stars is in the building
They hands is to the ceiling
I know I’m bout to kill it
How you know, I got that feeling
You are now watching the throne
Don’t let me into my zone (x2)

[Jay-Z & Kanye West]
I’m definitely in my zone

Mos Def’s Ni**as in Poorest

[Intro]
Live From America
Yasiin, Yasiin, Yasiin
N.I.P, Sing It

[Verse 1]
Ball So Hard, Clean Clothes Look Grimy, Pretty Women Don’t Mind Me
So What’s Fifty Grand To A Young ni**a Like Me? More Than My Annual Salary
Ball So Hard, This S**t Crazy, Walk Outside, The Whole World Hate Me
Nervous Stares At The Thoroughfare, Surveillance Cameras Police Tracing
Ball So Hard, This S**t Weird, We Be Home And Still Be Scared
Its Grief Here, Its Peace Here, Its Easy And Hard To Be Here
Psycho, Liable To Turn Michael, Take Your Pick, Myers, Myers, Myers, Same Shit
Ball So Hard, Got Holey Socks, Dope Block On My Stove Top
Jumbotrons For Astronauts, High In Orbit Off Planet Rock, Say
Ball So Hard, This Chopper Chew, Its Starving Marvin, You Hot Food
Its Birds Of Prey, No Escape, Open-air Prison, Local Zoo
Ball So Hard, Who Getting Faded? Little Maurice In The Sixth Grade
No Mama, No Father, Role Model The Dope Game, Say
Ball So Hard, B**ch Behave, Standing Behind The Deuce-deuce-trey
Ice-cold, Heat Blow, Closed Casket, Cold Case

[Hook]
Ball So Hard, That S**t Cray
That S**t Cray, That S**t Cray, That S**t Cray
That S**t Cray, That S**t Cray, That S**t Cray

[Verse 2]
These Young Bloods Is Looking Scary At The Mall
They Wearing Pants, You Can Still See They Drawers
They Rob A Ni**a In The Bathroom Stall
They Took His Life Cause He Ain’t Want To Take It Off
Singing, Ball So Hard, That Shit Cray, Ain’t It, Bey? Diabetics, Fish Filet
Ball So Hard, Your House So Cold, Ni**a It Ain’t Spring
Every Winter F*cking With My Heat Again
Bougie Girl, Grab Your Hand, Show You How To Do This Ghetto Dance
F*ck Your French, We Ain’t In France, I’m Just Saying
Prince Williams Ain’t Do It Right, If You Ask Me
If I Was Him, I’d Put Some Black Up In My Family
Fake Gucci, My Ni**a, Fake Louis, My Killa
Real Drugs, My Dealer, Who The Fuck Is Margiela?
Doctors Say I’m The Illest, I Ain’t Got No Insurance
It’s Them Ni**as Who Poorest, Be Them Rebel Guerillas, Huh

[Interlude: Malcolm X]
I Don’t Worry. I Tell You, I Am A Man Who Believed That I Died 20 Years Ago
And I Live Like A Man Who Is Dead Already. I Have No Fear Whatsoever Of Anybody Or Anything

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
To The Kings And Queens And Everyone In Every Place, Yo
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Towers Of Babylon Rise Up And So They Shall Fall
As It Was Written Before, Amen, The Show Goes On
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
These Devils Out Here Lying, Acting Like The People Ain’t Dying
They Silver And They Gold, Ain’t Never Saved A Soul
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Signs Through The Earth And Through The Heavens, Lunar, Solar Eclipses
We Seeking For Forgiveness And Safety For Our Children
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne
Don’t Get Caught Up In No Throne, Allah Is In Control

To get a better feel for the rhythm and style of the songs check out the video
for Ni**as in Paris here and for Ni**as in Poorest here

Questions to ask:

Is Ni**as in Poorest a dis song critiquing the excessive materialism of Ni**as in Paris? How can that be when Yaasin (Mos Def) is signed to Kanye West’ label?

In what ways is the excessive materialism of Ni**as in Paris related to the larger problem of excessive materialism in Western culture?

How is the overall message of Ni**as in Poorest aligned with Jesus’ message in the gospels?

Can you think of any more questions to ask of these texts?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in bible, culture, faith, justice, spirituality

Tagged , , , , , ,

What Julie and Julia taught me about my relationship with God pt 2

Posted on March 14, 2012 | 3 Comments

In my last post I unpacked what I learned from the movie Julie and Julia about my relationship with God. As I continue to think about it more I get more heated because of what a disservice and injustice we do when we describe relationship with God in such insanely ridiculous ways. God is not our cosmic buddy or our women’s tea conversation partner. He is wholly other.

In saying that, my intention is not to dis and dismiss the supernatural but to actually elevate it. Many times we portray relating to God with such casual familiarity that those with superior B.S. antennae can see right through it like superman x ray vision. I actually think the amazing supernatural factor in having a relationship with God is not that we can sit down and have a chat with him like we can with our ace at the cafe or the pub. The amazing thing is that this wholly other person-God-chooses to not only dwell in us but to work through us.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12, 13 ESV)

That is what is amazing about our relationship with God. He has chosen us to partner with him in the work of renovating the world inch by inch. It’s on par with us choosing an ant to paint a painting to rival the Sistine chapel. We see a glimpse of it in the journey of a young woman who dared to believe she could cook like Julia Child.

The prophet Isaiah declared the profound and utter difference between humanity and God:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8, 9 ESV)

John showed how God bridged that gap:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 ESV)

Imitating the Word made flesh is nothing like having a cosmic buddy. It is far removed from the sentiment on the semi-famous t shirt that do emphatically states “Jesus is my homeboy”. In fact, I make way more mistakes than a young woman in new York trying to imitate a master of French cuisine and along the way I see the great mystery and awe of a God who”became what we are in order to make us what he is himself.”-St. Irenaeus of Lyons. Now that’s the kind of relationship I can get into :)

→ 3 Comments

Posted in bible, faith, inspiration, personal, personal development, spirituality

Tagged , , , , , ,

What Julie and Julia taught me about my relationship with God

Posted on March 9, 2012 | 3 Comments

Christians say it all the time “It’s not about rules. It’s about relationship.” Many people have asked me over the years “How is your relationship with God?” Most of the time I feel quite put off by the question and don’t really know how to answer it. It’s not like we sit down at the kitchen table and have casual chatter over breakfast like me and my wife. If I had that kind of back and forth with God you would think I was nuts because….he’s invisible! No matter how many ways you slice it having a relationship with God just like the one I have with Yvette is impossible ( I am not negating the possibility of God’s guidance or hearing his audible voice only the frequency and clarity which most of us will agree is quite minimal)

But what if a relationship with God was never meant to be like the kind you have with a spouse or friend ? What if having a relationship with God is qualitatively different? This dawned on me while watching the movie Julie and Julia. While I think it was a gem of a movie I also believe it can give us a framework on how a relationship with God (an invisible intangible being) is supposed to work.

In the movie Julie and Julia a young woman named Julie is inspired to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Along the way she encounters trials, disappointments, joys, and victories while becoming closer to Julia Child as she pursues this discipline. Throughout the movie we see her become changed and transformed by following in the footsteps of someone who is not around. And the movie begins to hint that although these women lived worlds apart they are connected. But how??? Julie connected to Julia by doing what she did. Although it was a different time and place she cooked the same meals that Julia Child cooked and their relationship was based on those shared practices. In the movie Julia Child was even upset with Julie but it still did not negate the relationship that was formed through those shared practices. In fact Julie was so connected and moved by imitating Julia Child’s cooking that she offered butter (worship) at Child’s Smithsonian exhibit.

And before you think I’m way out there using movies as my Bible let me go to the text to cap it all off:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3 ESV)

whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:6 ESV)

Julie got closer to Julia by cooking her recipes and imitating her practices. In the same way we get closer to God by doing his commandments and imitating his practices. Walking in the same way that he walked while here on earth.

→ 3 Comments

Posted in advice/how to, bible, faith, personal, personal development, spirituality

Tagged , , , , , ,

Where should I get my tattoo???

Posted on November 22, 2011 | 5 Comments

I am 34 years old and I have decided to get a tattoo. Yes it seems a little late but I had numerous excuses including the following:

* I did not have enough money (I have spent the same amount of money on countless other things including stupid Christian self help books that I will be selling and giving away shortly)

* I was scared of the pain (Pain is relative if you really want something)

* I was a pastor and it would have distracted people from my sermons (please! there are numerous other things that would distract them (football, lunch, my nervous pacing, their own existential angst etc.)

I never bought into the whole thing of Christians not having tattoos because it is based on some bad hermeneutics of an Old Testament verse (that’s fancy seminary talk for “people can’t read the Bible”). The passage in question is Leviticus 19:28 which states “You shall not ” ‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.” This is often read as a clear prohibition against the tattoos that people adorn themselves with today. But actually this is taken out of context. When it comes to understanding the Bible the one thing that is important is context! Say it with me: All meaning is context dependent!

The context of this passage is about idol worship and sorcery. This specific verse pertains to religious rituals for the dead where people would gash themselves and give their blood for the dead. The tattoo marks would be different images and symbols associated with a certain god.

This is a very different purpose than what tattoos are for today. In the vast majority of cases tattoos are for body decoration and not to worship any idols or for witchcraft rituals.

You can read more at Sacred Ink

Now back to my tattooing dilemma. I really want one. I want to do one of an Ethiopian cross something like this…

Ethiopian Meskel (Cross

Why? I love the artwork and design but it also has a lot of meaning in my life. I have been to Ethiopia eight times and the first time totally changed the trajectory of my life. It is also a symbol of my African and Christian heritage. On top of that it is a symbol of where my life is headed as I practice contemplative spirituality. Ethiopia is a land full of monasteries where monks have been living the contemplative life for centuries. So that’s why I want to get a tattoo of an Ethiopian cross. Sometime this year you will get the chronicle of my experience with pics and everything.

Now the big question is… Where should I get my tattoo? Have you ever wanted a tattoo? What did you want for a tattoo? What’s been holding you back?

→ 5 Comments

Posted in art, bible, personal, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , ,