“The Quest for God”

Last night we started our look at The Sacred Way by Tony Jones.  The first chapter is titled “The Quest for God.”  Tony begins the chapter by telling a story about sitting in a coffee shop and a thunderstorm began.  He was looking around the parking lot and noticed a nice BMW parked far away from all the other cars to keep it in mint condition.  He then looked around and saw a shopping cart being pushed by the wind towards the BMW.  He sat and watched as it inched closer and closer to making its mark on that brand new BMW.  Tony says our God is a lot like that shopping cart.  “No matter how far away we park, and no matter how much we try to avoid bumping into the Divine Creator of the Universe, God finds us and leaves a mark.” 

This is the whole reason we embark on this quest for God.  God crafted us in His image so we all have an awareness of this mark even though we might try to ignore it.  When we wake up to this mark we look for ways to connect to our Creator.  As we begin this quest we may ask what God am I on a quest for?  There are soooooooo many religions which one leads me to God.  Dan Kimball’s book “They like Jesus but Not the Church,” has a great chapter titled “Do Christians arrogantly think all other religions are wrong?”  In it Dan explains that emerging generations are not becoming less spiritual but actually are embracing all spirituality.  In the book he has a conversation with a man named Duggan.  Duggan grew up in loving home outside of a religious blanket.  He said when he was teenager he began having questions about God.  He talked to his Dad and his Dad gave Duggan a King James Bible, a Koran, some Buddhist and Confucian writings and Duggan read and formed his faith from all these traditions.  So when Duggan talks to Christians about religion he can’t understand why they are so hostile towards him.  Like I mentioned before he didn’t grow up with Jesus being the only way, the only truth, the only path to God.  Duggan mentions that it is not what Christians believe that bothers him but rather the way they go about telling others and never listening to others who don’t believe what they do.  He said most of his encounters with Christians come from them quoting scripture to him but never being able to explain why they believe what they do.  Dan thankfully didn’t treat Duggan like another notch on his salvation belt and they formed a friendship.  Eventually after listening to Duggan stories Dan got to share with him.

Tony asks this question in his book, Why the Christian quest?  Madonna once said “All paths lead to God.”  I will tell you when I am exploring theology I don’t look to Madonna for answers but she has a point.  There are similarties in every religion such as the Golden Rule.  Above you can see a poster that you can purchase here http://www.scarboromissions.ca/Golden_rule/poster_order.php  On the poster you will find many religions who all have a golden rule in their sacred teachings.  Dan acknowledges this in his book and in his conversation with Duggan.  Dan goes on to explain though there are similarities in many religions that when you really dive deep into them you will start to see that they don’t all lead to the same God. 

In fact they lead to totally different Gods.  Hinduism leads to many gods, Islam leads to One god but Jesus is only a prophet, Christianity leads to One triune God and the only way to that God is through Jesus.  Similarities, check but they don’t lead to the same place.  The reason why we embark on this quest to find God through Christianity is Jesus.  As Tony puts it, “For only in Christianity is there the belief that the one, true God came to earth as a human being, and that, to this day, we can know him in as personal a way as the disciples who shared lunch with him 2,000 years ago.  That is, Christians engage in these spiritual practices not out of duty or obligation but because there is a promise attached:  God will personally meet us in the midst of these disciplines.” 

Our quest for an intimate relationship with God begins with Jesus and I hope you will join us to find him.

Peace,

Nate 

 

Where we are headed

Wednesday night we will be starting a new study.  I should say experience.  We will be exploring/discussing/experiencing The Sacred Way by Tony Jones.  

You can look at the schedule here http://tyac.wordpress.com/the-sacred-way/

Along with discussing the book on Wednesday nights we will experience and practice things in Tony’s book.  We will experience some more modern spiritual practices as well.  

Next week we will be heading to Otter Creek Church for their Vesper service.  

Details here http://tyac.wordpress.com/news/

Peace,

Nate

Last Night

  We officially canceled Wednesday night activities last night but since I live half a second away I decided to go ahead and have our group meet.  For those who risked their lives to attend it was good to see you.  For those who couldn’t come I wanted to give you a brief recap so we’re all up to speed when we look at Chapter 4 “Leather, Whips, & Fruit” next Wednesday.

Started by watching a clip from the movie “Sicko.”  Here is the trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlDAUKSh9CQ

I know many people disagree with Michael Moore’s message but the clip we watched was to remind us of how we allow human beings to be treated.  In the clip a woman who can’t afford to pay for her hospital stay is put in a cab and dropped off at the Rescue Mission on Skid Row in Los Angeles, CA.  They have the video of the woman being dropped off and she has no shoes on and is still wearing the hospital gown.  Also the name of the hospital was scratched off the identity bracelets.  Needless to say the hospital didn’t want people to know which hospital kicked her out.  The next day another woman was dumped by the hospital.  The question is asked “Who are We?”  Is this what we want to be known for a society who kicks poor people out of hospitals and dumps them on street corners like garbage.  After that it goes into how some who were volunteers at ground zero after 9/11 have developed serious medical issues.  Many were not employed by the state/government so they don’t qualify for medical coverage.  The people who felt compassion and risked their lives to try and save others are denied basic health coverage.   Here we are the richest country in the world and we can’t take care of the poor or our wounded heroes.  Who do we take care of?

Chapter three of “Sex God” is titled “Angels and Animals.”  In it Rob talks about how living like either an angel or animal is ”destructive, because God made us human.”  According to the book living like an animal is “to give in and let our cravings/desires rule us…”  In 1 Corinthians 6 there is a statement ”Food for the stomach and the stomach for food.”  This idea influenced human action “They understood a person to be a collection of physical needs – you’re hungry and there’s food to satisfy your hunger, you’re tired and there’s sleep…” sex was just another physical need.  Paul talks about how ”the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,” this image challenged the idea that being human is just a collection of urges and needs.  Earlier in the chapter we read “Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial…” which leads us to living like an angel.

Living like an angel is “the denial of the physical and the failure to acknowledge that our sexuality is central to what makes us human.”  In 1 Timothy 4 we read about a group who forbid people to marry and eat certain types of food.  We know from Genesis that what God creates is good so why forbid people to marry or eat certain types of food.  As Rob points out this group saw sex as dangerous and marriage gives people free licence to have sex.  So to avoid that evil you forbid people to marry.  Some food was offered up as a sacrifice to other gods in worship rituals.  “The leaders of this religion decided that if something had been offered to a god they didn’t believe in, they wouldn’t eat it.”  In both these cases Paul says that these things should not be banned “For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.”  The abuse of sex and food are wrong but sex and food in of itself is not evil because God created them good. 

The question is how do we live?  Are we the type of people who live by just whatever feels good, we live by impulse and we allow our desires/cravings to rule us or do we live by avoiding conflict and tension, we repress our feelings/cravings/desires.  Both ways deny what it is to be human and in that case deny what God made us to be.  “When we deny the spiritual dimension to our existence, we end up living like animals.  And when we deny the physical, sexual dimension to our existence, we end up living like angels.  And both ways are destructive, because God made us human.”  

How can we move away from living like an animal or an angel and live more like who God created us to be and become?

There are a few Greek words to point out that can help us. 

“aànwqen:”  Anothen- “from above, from a higher place; anew, over again.”

“Pneuma:”  Nooma- “a life giving spirit; movement of air (a gentle blast) of the wind, hence the wind itself, breath of nostrils or mouth.”

 

Both of these are found in a story in the Gospel of John

 

John 3: 3-8

“In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (anothen).” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water (physical birth) and the Spirit (pneuma). Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit (pneuma) gives birth to spirit (pneuma). You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. (anothen) The wind (pneuma) blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born (anothen) of the Spirit.” (pneuma)

Here we see Jesus talking to Nicodemus.  In it Jesus tells Nicodemus “no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  The word is anothen and it has two meanings.  One is from above and the other is anew/again.  Jesus is teaching that there are two births.  One is the physical one (which Jesus is alluding to when he says “born of water” we normally attach that to mean baptism but Jesus meant the physical birth) and the other is being born of the Spirit.  That word Spirit is pneuma in Greek.  It has several meanings wind/breath/spirit.  Jesus is teaching Nicodemus that to be in the Kingdom we must be born from above/again/ by the wind/breath/spirit of God. 

The book talks about the Hebrew phase tohu va vohu.  This phrase means wild and waste/void/chaos. 

Genesis 2

“The earth was formless and void (Tohu Va Vohu), and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit (Ruach- Wind/Breath/Spirit) of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”

“Each thing God creates and sets in motion is a step, a progression away from the chaos and disorder toward order and harmony…When we act like angles or animals, we’re acting like beings who were created before us.  We’re going backward in creation.  We’re going the wrong way.”

To be where God wants us to be we have to know what God create us to be.  God created us in his image, to be people who reflect his image in the world.  To live with a higher calling than fulfilling our own desires but also not avoid the tension that our desire causes.  What God created us to be/to become is good.  Our abuses of it are what we call sin.  Those who choose to be born anothen are choosing to let God’s Spirit guide them.  God in the beginning breathed his Spirit in us to give us life.  Now until our last breathe we have the choice to follow the Spirit that is in us or choose our own path.  Being human, being who God create us to be is to be a person who protects the image of God in everyone by loving others as Jesus did/does and doing the hard work of learning from/praying to/wrestling with/following God.  We must go beyond knowing what to do (we tell people and ourselves that we should love people as we love  ourselves, we should give it to God, love enemies, ask for forgiveness and learn to forgive.) We must go beyond that and through the hard work of following God connect  what, to how, to actually doing something!  As Tyler said last night “Connecting what we feel, to what we think, to what we say, to what we do.”

Hope to see you next week when we discuss Chapter 4 “Leather, Whips, And Fruit”

Peace,

Nate

Sex God, Super Bowl, & 30 Hour Famine

 Wednesday night we will be discussing Chapter 3 of the book “Sex God” by Rob Bell.  This chapter speaks on how we as individuals should move towards living not as animals or angels but in the space “tension” between the two.

 ”Just as the physical world is linked with deeper spiritual realities, sex and God are intimately connected.  But how?  With unusual beauty and insight, Bell addresses this intriguing question to help you better understand that we can’t talk about ourselves as sexual beings without asking who made us that way.  An enlightening exploration of sexuality and spirituality.”

 

 

 

   This Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday!  It is a bittersweet day for me.  Though I love the Super Bowl, I hate that it is the last meaningful game until September.  I don’t really know who to root for this year.  I really can’t stand the Steelers and freaking Cardinals has the man (Kurt Warner) who was on the team who beat the Titans in the Super Bowl.  Who am I kidding…GO CARDS!  What an awesome story that would be…and Larry Fitzgerald is a beast!  We are having a party over at Tim & Lisa’s so if you got nowhere to watch the game join us at Tim & Lisa’s.

 

 

 

 

 

The T.Y.A.C. is partnering with TCPC youth group to do the 30 Hour Famine Feb 27 & 28.  A schedule and more details to come.  Mark your calender!  If you want more info on 30 Hour Famine check out these sites

www.30hourfamine.org

www.worldvision.org

Peace,

Nate

It has been a long time…

Just a few things. 

The lack of Internet access in my office & home has hindered me posting but hopefully I can post a bit more than I have.

We have started two new studies. 

Wednesday nights we are looking at Sex God:  Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality by Rob Bell.  Each week we are taking a chapter and exploring its theme.  This Wednesday night we will talking about Chapter 2 “Sexy on the Inside.”  If you would like a copy of the book you can find it at most bookstores.  

Sunday Mornings we are starting Faith Matters:  Discovering the Faith.  This Sunday we will be discussing “What can I know about God?” 

Hope to see you soon…until next time

Nate

The Sheep and The Goats

I was visiting one of my favorites sites (www.theooze.com) and found this article.  I love when humor makes a serious point.  

 

	THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS: Revised Version
	by Heather Wax

“Then the sheep will say to Him, “But Lord, when were you naked, and we clothed you, or hungry, and we fed you, or sick or in prison, and we visited you?”
Jesus will reply to them, “For as much as you have done this to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me.”

Then the sheep did a very interesting thing, and replied, “Lord, I remember this story. In the original version, I’m supposed to be all naive as if I never got to read this story, and not know that when I do things for the least of my brethren, I’m doing it to you. So, seriously Lord, for my entire life I’ve sorta been on the lookout for, you know, the “least of these” to um, feed, clothe, and visit and stuff, because I sorta got tipped off when your disciples wrote this stuff down in the Bible and all. But, I gotta admit, I’m still sorta confused.”
Jesus nodded. “Go on.”

“Well, the reality is, no matter how far I looked, I never really found the least of these to clothe, feed, and visit. I mean, I tried to, I really did, but it just didn’t work out.”

Jesus nodded again. “But you did find them.”

The sheep replied, “No, I seriously didn’t Lord. I mean, I thought I was helping one of the least when I picked up that homeless guy, but, he ended up being a pretty cool guy and turned into one of my best friends. He actually was a prophet – remember how he helped me get right with You about that one issue in my life? He’s not one of the least – He’s….Well, he’s just Ed. My friend. My best friend Ed.”

Jesus just went, “Hmmm.”

“And Lord,” the sheep continued,” I gave some clothes to that family, but they weren’t the least either… they were soo cool to be around. I mean, they definitely took some getting used to…but I think that was more me than them. I learned a lot about my messed up ways of viewing people by dealing with the fact that I didn’t want to hang out with them at first. And now once again, I have to say – they sure ain’t the least. They’re my friends…”

Jesus smiled. “And the orphan you took in?”

The sheep replied, “Lord, please! She’s my daughter! We don’t call her an orphan! I mean, you gave her to me – you of all people..I mean…oh whatever… You should know that she’s not “the least!” In fact, I think she’s probably the most important person in my view in the whole world! She’s my baby!

And Jesus smiled again. “Never mind. Forget the “least” stuff. How bout you just sit by my side with all your friends and family here and help me out with these goats here?”

The sheep said ok… still a bit confused. But, ready to change subject to the goats.

So Jesus told the goats – “You didn’t feed, cloth, or visit the least, and therefore you didn’t do it to me.”

The goats objected, of course. After all, they had read the story too, and not only did they know the fate which awaited goats, and earnestly didn’t want it to be them…but they also knew the drill, and had acted somewhat proactively to deal with that. “Lord, we read this story and we went looking for you – We fed a bunch of hungry people, clothed some naked people, and visited some sick and imprisoned people. We got our bases covered. See? “International Ministry to the Least” – that was our 501c3. We had it covered. We had YOU covered, Lord.. We even had ourselves covered…prayer covering, board or elders covering, etc etc. There seriously is a mistake here. Are you sure you don’t want to check again? (Meanwhile, the goats called their prayer network up to start praying about their situation. They were promised it was covered.)

Jesus asked one of the sheep to step forward. “Goat, do you recognize this sheep? She was in your small group.”

The goat nodded. “Yeah, I remember her Lord, but, she wasn’t the least. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I never thought she amounted to very much – but, you know, she wasn’t hungry, sick, in prison, or naked or anything. She was just sorta annoying. “

Jesus asked, “Did you treat her like a friend?”

The goat answered, “Lord, you gave me friends. And besides, I was pretty busy with the ministry to the least. And this sheep here..sheesh… I didn’t even click with this person. You don’t want me to be friends with every person in my church, did you?”

Jesus answered, “In as much as you were not a brother to your sister, you were not a friend to me either. However, since this is the revised story, and I’m just a caricature of the real Jesus, I’m not going to sentence you to fire or anything. But I am going to sentence you to think long and hard about the heart of both sheep and goats – when you lay in bed at night, when you’re in the shower,and driving to work…and ask you to read the real story over again. That way, when you meet the real Jesus, you’ll hopefully be a little more ready. Watch and pray.”

 

Many of us (Christians) understand the story found in Matthew 25.  We get that what we do to the “least” of these we do to him but Jesus never intended for us to view people as less-than.  That no one is less than us but rather they might be on the margins/underbelly of society.  People might have the least but they are not inferior.  To believe that is to the miss the point of the parable.  Something else we miss is that Jesus is speaking about how we treat everyone.  Are we so wrapped up in ourselves that we miss the people God has put in our path.  People who need us to listen/pray/help/be-friend/love/cherish/lift up/and most importantly…they need to see Jesus in their circumstances.  Here is a video we watched Wednesday night (http://www.theworkofthepeople.com/index.php?ct=store.details&pid=V00498)

I believe this idea can help us connect word and deed at its deepest level.  Jesus had friends.  He said “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)  So many friendships are based on things like beliefs/economics/likes/dislikes but what if we stopped building these kind of relationships and built them on this text.  What if we built relationships on this principle that there is no greater love than to lay down ones life…that would be a mark of a real/true friend.  What if we like Jesus saw all people as worthy of that kind of friendship.  As we head into the celebration of Christmas let us be mindful of how we treat others and what we are willing to lay down our life for.  Let us each day keep our eyes open to the people in our path and show each of them the love of God through the life/death/resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas

Nate

Free Market Jesus Part 2

 

A thought provoking Bible study DVD on culture and how it has shaped the message of Christianity.

December 10 we will be watching part 2 of Free Market Jesus

Come join us

Wednesday Night 7PM

http://www.bluefishtv.com/Store/Adult_Small_Groups/2211/_Free_Market_Jesus_with_Don_Miller

Free Market Jesus

 

On December 3 & 10 the T.Y.A.C. will be watching a video called

Free Market Jesus. 

A thought provoking Bible study DVD on culture and how it has shaped the message of Christianity.

 

 

The average American encounters more than 3000 advertisements each day

The formula for most ads is:

1. You are not happy
2. You will be happy if you purchase this product.

How has this overwhelming commercial message shaped our view of spirituality, the church and Jesus?

In Free Market Jesus, Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz) illustrates how culture always serves as a lens for our understanding of Christianity.  He then addresses how scripture defines spirituality and why the scripture is still relevant in our modern culture.

http://www.bluefishtv.com/Store/Adult_Small_Groups/2211/_Free_Market_Jesus_with_Don_Miller

Come join the Tusculum Young Adult Community on Wednesday night at 7PM