tests and the progressive power of the wager

interesting how people can be driven to do incredible things just to win a bet… i mean, after playing three games in one day and managing to win the B final, the boys are all sitting together in the dressing room, half dead in pools of their own DNA and someone says 'we should wait around and challenge the winners of the A side to an A+B final for bragging rights!'

and for an instant you can tell from the glances around the room that many of the guys are ready to go one more round if someone just says 'okay.'

composer maurice ravel (1875-1937) wrote arguably his most famous composition bolero- over 9 minutes of music written in 9 minutes- on a napkin at the local pub on a bet.

photographer eadward muybridge (1830-1904) invented motion picture photography to prove his assertion that, for a horse mid-gallup, there is a point where all four hooves are off the ground.

the progressive power of the wager is undeniable. we take on great challenges just to make the big point and win the big prize... to prove that, in john eldredge's words, 'we have what it takes.'

even God, in the book of Job, seeks to prove the integrity of ‘his servant, Job’ against the accusations of one particularly recalcitrant angel. God’s right to brag in the story of job isn’t because God is powerful or even because God has proven a point. God’s right to brag is found in the fact that he sees in job something eternal- something which neither time nor circumstance can impugn- that this man is capable of incredible strength and faith, and the only way to demonstrate this is to challenge the affluence that his righteousness could be attributed to.
(Job 1.6-22;2.1-10; 42.7-16)

as a teacher, i would give tests to the students, but an exam would never be given to my students to destroy them… on the contrary: a good teacher only gives a test when that teacher is sure that the students are ready to move to the next unit of study. it is given to provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate that which the teacher already knows to be true- that the student is ready to move on. often the test is the only way that some students ever learn about themselves what their teachers already know.




however, it’s hard to remember this when life is spinning out of control all around us- when the whole world seems to be koyaanisqatsi (life out of balance) and we have to move at that speed just to keep up with the rest of the machine. the problem with having life move at the pace it does is that, like trying to sing a tricky traditional song or hymn, our focus becomes fixed upon keeping up rather than drawing the content from the experience. the lessons are lost in our deliberation.

For centuries, mystics, prophets and contemplatives have been called to the solitude and the silence of the ‘cave of the heart’ before they embarked upon their mission to the world.
(John Michael Talbot)

however, we mustn't remain in the cave, as hermits escaping the perils of a corrupt and fallen society. did you notice talbot's words? "before they embarked upon their mission to the world." the point of the hermitage is to prepare for the mission.

mission often comes in surprising places. in scripture, israel is dragged away by the babylonians into exile and their future as God's 'chosen people' is in jeopardy. however, rather than hear from their resident holy man that they are to sit in mourning for the age of david, the people are told to build houses, plant gardens and raise families. apparently, there is a lot yet to be learned amidst the toil. apparently they are still God's 'chosen' and are to bring light and life even into this land of exile, living amongst the huns and being God's light of hope and freedom in their own slavery.
(Jeremiah, 29.4-14.)



the recent adam sandler film, click, tells the story of a guy who purchases a universal remote to make his life "a little easier- less complicated." the device enables him to, among other things, fast-forward through the workaday aspects of life. unfortunately for him, he discovers that it is beneath the stuff of regular everyday life that true inspiration and hope of fulfillment are buried.

see, waiting is tough, but it is part of life on this fallen planet bound by time, and is our mission- a context in which God develops and displays in us the things that bring him greater honour... the things that give him bragging rights.

being a good waiter

the english language is fun because, although it can be cumbersome and arrhythmic sometimes, the poetry of it allows us to use the same word in one statement to mean two very different things, allowing the idea itself to work on a number of levels.

take the rather familiar Christian phrase waiting on the Lord.

typically, we think of this a having something to do with being patient and faithful- of enduring the passing of time in order to see something that we hope for come to realization in Christ. scripture resonates with this one... just go to biblegateway or youversion and type in a search on 'how long Lord.' there's lots there.

how long, Lord?

the psalms and many of the prophets resonate with this cry because it is the cry of humanity against the established order on fallen planet earth which is the order that comes to be when the oppressor is given what appears to be full reign:

in his book Forgotten Ways, alan hirsch defines 'movement' as:

a group of people organized for, ideologically motivated by, and committed to a purpose which implements some form of personal or social change; who are actively engaged in the recruitment of others; and whose influence is spreading in opposition to the established order within which it originated… (Hirsch, p191)

and so we find ourselves engaged in a movement, a coup d'etat to overthrow the established order through the uniting and serving together of a forgiven, grace and mercy-receiving people. often, in our movement and our passion for the cause of Christ, we act rashly, enacting our own activistic response to the 'how long, Lord?' question.

kinda like when moses kills the guy for beating up a hebrew slave.

God's response to moses' well-intentioned violence, his righteous rebellion on the service road, is to give him forty years in exile to think about it... forty years in the wilderness to prepare for forty years in the wilderness. eventually, moses comes to the place where he is able to truthfully say 'i can wait.'

however, typically we would refer to all this as waiting (or not waiting) FOR the Lord.
how does one wait ON God?

i worked as a waiter at a restaurant during high school. it was a painful experience for two very different reasons. the first one is easy to talk about, but the second still makes me wince.

this restaurant boasted the best chowder that interior british colombia had to offer. the stuff was, indeed, amazing: rich and tasty but with a consistency to rival tar. this stuff was THICK. anyway, people would come from all over town to enjoy a bowl of this famous chowder and i was there to bring it to them in a timely fashion, with my short-sleeved shirt well pressed and my orange bowtie (with, of course, matching mini-apron like the kind you wear when you're working a bingo) straight and symmetrical. as long as you adhered to a few basic rules, the tips came rolling in tax free- this was, of course, what the apron was for.

in any event, it was a beautiful arrangement until that one evening when i stepped on something rather slippery, lying facedown on one of the hardwood steps. the chowder flew through the air and yet with gymnastic grace i managed to catch it all, lest it stain the carpet and the cost of cleaning come out of my pay. i hurried into the kitchen with the chowder burning the flesh off of my left arm, stuck my head into a pile of clean bar towels and screamed.

this was, however, not the most painful event- especially since it only occured once. the most painful of my food service industry experiences came regularly- once a week, in fact.

every sunday night the Christians would come in and take over the restaurant, singing Grace before gracelessly demanding record-breaking service, leaving an Oh By The Way, You’re Going to Hell tract as a tip…

yeah. that was way more painful and the scars still haven't healed.

see, everyone knew that i was one of them- that i was the churchgoing type- and so i was guilty by association. so was Jesus.

no, his scars still haven't healed either.

see the thing about this is that Jesus' scars are found on the hearts of others, for he bore all of the pain of humanity on behalf of us all. every time those who lay claim to the salvation afforded regular everyday people through the blood of Christ, they do an unpardonably poor job of representing Christ, of bearing his name, of loving another and enacting that love, the wounds delivered through these abuses are received by Jesus as well as the other person- and whereas Jesus forgives and saves, others often do not.

these are the things that harden hearts, making it easier and easier for people to reject Christ because Christ's people can be so inward in their focus.

we all make mistakes. we all go down in flames over this or that expression of our seemingly ongoing fallenness, and yet God in his mercy, grace and incomprehensible cosmic patience, continues to forgive us seventy times seven. the challenge before us is to see what needs to be seen and grow closer to and more lovingly involved and engaged with God and humankind as a result of this seeing.

to be good waiters.

what are we waiting through?
what are we waiting for?
who are we waiting on?

drive

recently in an interview, Bono was presented a photograph of himself getting out of a helicopter in the 80's. in the photo, he had that look in his eye, like his whole life was ahead of him to do with as he pleased and it pleased him to try to change the world. the interviewer posed a very simple question:

Q: what would you say to this guy?

A: I’d tell him ‘you’re right.’

that look… is that the look of a younger man? is it the look of one who is too young, passionate, idealistic, and naïve to be cynical? or is it the look of one who’s ready to live the dream?

of late, a bunch of us have been looking at the whole notion of awakening from our slumber to live God’s dream for us… interesting how, sometime between genesis 2 and last night, slumber has moved from being God’s means of recharging us indefinitely for an ongoing creative partnership that was part of the original creation plan to a place where we would hide from the pressing responsibilities of ‘now’ just long enough to be able to face them for the hours between our waking and sleeping… we have gone from life with no end in paradise to just getting through this day without going crazy.

perhaps it has something to do with the disaster that is chronicled in genesis 3 and the aftermath that we read of in 3.17b-19, 23-24…

To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'

"Cursed is the ground because of you;

through painful toil you will eat of it

all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken;

for dust you are

and to dust you will return."

So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

man and maid back slowly out of the garden, only to see the large metal door of God's vault of infinite blessing slam shut, its large wheel spinning as the security system engages and the two infidels turn to watch the ground harden before their very eyes as the sun sinks slowly out of view.

so as stillness and passivity settle upon the newly accursed ground and the rich fragrance of those evening walks with God gives way to the pungent odor of overripe fruit and burning roadside garbage that comes to characterize our dominion and our domain east of eden, the melancholic chill of adult responsibility grips all of creation.

and over the millennia, we come to recognize it

as the sound and feeling of life

and we accept it as such.

so- so you think you can tell heaven from hell?

blue skies from pain?

can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?

a smile from a veil?

do you think you can tell?

did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?

hot ashes for trees?

hot air for a cool breeze?

cold comfort for change?

did you exchange a walk-on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?

how i wish- how i wish you were here...

we’re two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl year after year

running over the same old ground-
have we found the same old fears?

wish you were here…

(Roger Waters)

but movement is a sign of life
and to be moving is an indicator

not only of life but of health and purpose…

I wanted movement, not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and a chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I found in myself a superabundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life. (Tolstoy)

perhaps this drive of which tolstoy speaks is what drives a 56 year old woman to swim across the ocean…

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Jennifer Figge pressed her toes into the Caribbean sand, exhilarated and exhausted as she touched land this week for the first time in almost a month.

Reaching a beach in Trinidad, she became the first woman on record to swim across the Atlantic Ocean _ a dream she'd had since the early 1960s, when a stormy trans-Atlantic flight got her thinking she could don a life vest and swim the rest of the way if needed.

The 56-year-old left the Cape Verde Islands off Africa's western coast on Jan. 12, battling waves of up to 30 feet (9 meters) and strong winds.

perhaps this is what drives a 75 year old man like abram in genesis 12 to leave house and home and all that is familiar to undertake a journey to a land that, at that stage, remained a mere promise by an invisible God (Hirsch)

oh but wait a minute.

in the abram story, the drive isn't simply a nomadic restlessness that prompts a man to resume the journey begun by his father a generation earlier. there's a spiritual element that must be seen as far more significant than just basic human wanderlust.

it probably has less in common with the hunger for adventure confessed by tolstoy than with that drive that, in mark 1.9-13, compels a young 30-something messiah, newly anointed by God, into the wilderness to face his greatest fears and insecurities before engaging in a ministry that would change the world forever, bringing healing to the sick, new life to those dead, and new freedom to those in bondage, restoring that look in our eye and that eternal orientation to our perspective…

in a recent talk, erwin mcmanus challenged the crowd
with a rather simple question:

If your greatest dream were to become reality, would the word be a better place?

in the realm of the dragon- sri lanka update2

My friends, my family.
I cannot begin to speculate where the week has gone. Just seven days ago I was writing to you, having just been in Sri Lanka for a couple days. Now, with a week gone by, only a few days remain in my stay here. God has been gracious to us as we've traveled from church to church through hill country and then on to Batticaloa on the east coast, where we have been for the last four days. Thank you for your ongoing prayers. We have enjoyed safe and expedient travel, even through army occupied areas that I described in a recent talk as 'the realm of a dragon', complete with sacked buildings, nearly impassible roads, army arrogance, empty places of worship and desolation. We have felt the strength and protection afforded us by Northview prayer cover.

Before I go any further, I need to share with you what a blessing it has been to hear of Northview's ongoing love and support of our friends the Dynna's. I received news of Glenn's accident on Sunday morning here (Saturday night in Regina) in a phone call with Vonda. We have been praying regularly for Glenn , Donna, the family and the business since receiving word. I am so grateful to Pastor Belinda, Jaylynne and others, not only for keeping me posted through email as to how to continue to pray, but also for coordinating some systematic support for our dear friends. I have shared with the team here how proud I am of our church for binding together to love and support our friends. Know that I join you in praying for miraculous healing, hope, comfort and peace every single time the Holy Spirit brings the Dynna family to mind, as well as systematically at specific times daily. I also pray thanksgiving for a church family that serves its own as well as others. You are a blessing.

So this week we concluded our pastor and church meetings- meeting with 12 pastors in 6 churches over 5 days. The traveling through hill country by van was exhausting, but God sustained us and has done much to continue to foster church unity within the movement here in Sri Lanka . Pastor Jayamani has been doing an outstanding job as superintendent, and has been instrumental in bringing strength and identity to the movement here. Please continue to pray that the fellowship of the churches will continue to grow stronger and more unified, and will continue to bring God glory as it tackles the challenges that are part of life in a civil wartorn land.

Arriving in Batticaloa late on Tuesday night, we changed gears and focus, directing our energy to the Tsunami relief project. There was a fair bit of preparation work that was required in order to turn the houses over to their recipients on Saturday night. Our project includes ten houses, the first five to be given away today (Saturday.) Nothing could have prepared me for the depth of connection that I felt with this project personally. Northview's involvement began with a series of Tsunami relief offerings that were taken up in January 2005. I travelled here to Batticaloa the following summer and then a year later Matt Larson and I returned to this area of Sri Lanka to negotiate with the government for some land for Tsunami refugee relief. To sign letters of understanding on behalf of the pastors of all the Free Methodist Churches that gave to this project was deeply moving for me. However, to be asked to officiate in the turning over of one of the homes was surreal. As I have been honoured by these involvements, so our church has been honoured because, through it all, God continues to be glorified through the faithfulness of this little church of ours.

We will leave tomorrow after I speak to the church that Pastor Guna has drawn together in the shed on the project site. We head back to Colombo to lead a theology class for the pastors here. Please join me in prayer for the Board of Administration meeting that takes place on February 25th. There is much business to be discussed, including plans for the summer programs that Matt and Brooke Larson are leading a team into in August. We return home on the 27th, but I have no clue when... Vonda will know. In any event, I look forward to being home with you all again next weekend.

You continue to be in my prayers daily. Thank you for including us in yours.
poitu varam
d

in the realm of the dragon- sri lanka update1

My friends, my family.
What a gift it is to be your pastor, serving here on your behalf! We arrived early Friday morning and have already done a lot of connecting with the pastors here. By the time of this writing on Saturday night, we had already met with three of the pastors and stopped in at Lanka Bible College to pick up some materials for the class that Dan Sheffield will be teaching in Colombo in our final days here. We have a very full itinerary, but if you would join us with prayer I know that God will afford us the strength to see through these plans- our intention is to visit every church or in the Free Methodist movement while here... Good thing Pastor Jey got here a bit earlier, as the connecting he did during the week prior to our arrival makes this visitation goal attainable. Vonda has received the updated itinerary and will be happy to get it to you if you want to be specific as a prayer partner.

Please pray for unity within the movement here. There are some issues that have crept in which threaten to bring division between some of the leaders here. As can happen in pretty much anything where people are concerned, problems with communication and trust pose some threat to the foundation that has been lain these past five years. We are working very hard to listen carefully and share discerningly, and are very pleased to have the opportunity to meet with all prior to the Board of Administration meeting that is to take place on February 26, our final day in Colombo.

I have been asked by the denomination to write a chronicle of the Tsunami story, beginning on boxing day, 2004 and culminating with the handing over of the first relief houses. Although this is an overwhelming task, I consider it an honour to be asked to write it. We are also doing some shooting for an accompanying documentary film on this topic. Being that Northview has been so involved in this story from the beginning, I am very excited about the project.

The political climate here is cooler than it has ever been during my visits. I am grateful to God for this, as it represents the answers to many prayers on many different levels. As you pray prayers of thanksgiving for this, please continue to remember to lift this country and its people up. The civil war dragon still considers this place its realm and this people to be its subjects- we received some bad news again today, and although we continue to travel in the shadow and shelter of the hand of God, I long for a time when the whole country enjoys the same peace.

Tomorrow we will worship in the Nawalapathiya church where Jared, Shalene, Vonda, Devon, Mark and I served during the first days of our trip in August, 2007. I think it's fair to say that "Godwin says Hi!" to you all. Ask those who have been here what that means.

Bless and be blessed
d

of dragons and would-be heroes

so i thought it might be interesting to explore the whole idea of dragons- but discovered early on that there are some key differences between how different cultures portray this mythological creatures, as well as the powers and such ascribed to them. rather than go on and on, let me say this about that:

go to wikipedia and type in 'dragon'
now read the entry.

there- so in order to move forward, let me just clarify... the dragons of which i speak are not the oriental ones- (probably the subject of a whole nother blog). no, we're looking at the horrific creatures that lace european mythologies with a larger than life, manifest evil presence. the stuff that jabberwocky (from lewis carroll's through the looking glass) and smaug (from jrr tolkien's the hobbit) are made of- the stuff that the great heroes like saint george and shrek have always had to defeat in order to save the girl.

(interesting: read revelation 12.1-17 with this idea in mind)

in his Complete Guide To Middle-Earth, robert foster defines the word Dragon as follows:
"Evil creatures of northern Middle-earth, huge, powerful, scale covered, long-lived, greedy for treasure and full of malice. They could bewilder anyone who looked in their eyes and their words were cunning and seductive…"

these giant villains of western myth are the ultimate self-serving consumers: destroying, controlling or hoarding all that is in their path, choking off life and freedom and while cultivating a stockholm syndrome-like bond of fear and appeasement, requiring absolute servitude of those who live within their realm. they create slaves- they always have.

it's funny how certain ideas act as hyperlinks to other experiences. all week long, i've been thinking of a certain bruce cockburn song which has embedded in it the title of the album in which it appears. the tune is called 'hills of morning' and the record is dancing in the dragons' jaws- very strongly based on and alluding to the writings of charles williams.

(tangent: no surprise that the quote in the previous blog entry is from the same record. sometimes we read a book or listen to a song or see a film and we receive one idea- other times the aesthetic leads us in a number of different directions through a number of different topics simply because we continue to be willing to receive more from the larger work.)

Women and men moved back and forth
In between effect and cause
And just beyond the range of normal sight
This glittering joker was dancing in the dragon's jaws
(bruce cockburn)

this song seems to hint at hope that lies beyond that which we readily perceive, but which is nonetheless real. it and the works by charles williams that inspired it "explore the sacramental intersection of the physical with the spiritual while also examining the ways in which power, even spiritual power, can corrupt as well as sanctify." (WIKIpedia, of charles williams)

the really cool thing is that, unlike his oxford writers' guild (self-dubbed Inklings) contemporaries c.s. lewis and j.r.r. tolkien, williams' fantasy pieces take place in our contemporary world- which perhaps invites the question:

what ARE the dragons of today? two rather nasty ones come to mind, along with a third that is unmatched in its subtlety:

• Economics: commerce, trade and credit (affluence/ disparity)
• Politics: abuse of power, influence and resource leads to injustice
• Substance issues: counterfeit gospels offering temporary peace from the other two (and countless others) all the while establishing its own realm and subjects.
  

but with the identification of some rather heinous dragons, comes the responsibility to somehow fight them. how do we, the church, deliver hope and freedom to those who are held captive today? how do we, the church, bring a dance of freedom and hope into the very jaws of today's dragons?

well, first of all, we need to remind ourselves that it's not our fight. it’s a Spirit thing

matthew 28.18-20 (famously referred to as the great commission) speaks of Christ's authority, and of the need for those who follow him to go out into all the world. luke 24.45-49, tells the same story from the perspective of another, with certain nuances draw to the fore. in the luke version, Jesus speaks of going out, but reminds his followers that there is an order to things, and that they are to wait until they receive that which is promised to them from the Father: 'power from on high.' acts 1.8, (traditionally held to be written by the same author as the gospel of luke) records the words of Christ more directly related to this promise of power and authority: 'you will receive power when my Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses...' and so on.

see, without that power there is no authority and, one could contend that when there is no authority there cannot be any real victory over a dragon. mere mortals are limited in strength and resource and dragons seem to be these horrible things that know and respect no limits. the merely natural cannot prevail- the supernatural must engage for it is a supernatural battle.

so how do we engage supernaturally? how do we receive this promise of dragon-thwarting might? well, it seems to come through agreement entered into with God. it seems to come with being in league with good rather than evil, and being in relationship with the source of the good... without this relationship, there is no witness to bear.

the challenge (arguably greater, even, than the challenge posed by the dragon itself) is to actively cultivate conversational intimacy with God- to speak regularly with, not to God. speaking with connotes a dialogue in which both parties are engaged, taking turns, alternately speaking and listening. this allows God to draw up divine plans with his servants which enable these servants to be in agreement with and fully used within them.

it's not enough to be ready to fight.
we must needs be ready to be part of someone else's fight- God's.

so what does one wear to someone else's war?

i read this and thought this 1

i read this:
Many of us are refusing to allow distorted images of our faith to define us. There are those of us who, rather than simply reject pop evangelicalism, want to spread another kind of Christianity, a faith that has as much to say about this world as it does about the next. New prophets are rising up who try to change the future, not just predict it. There is a movement bubbling up that goes beyond cynicism and celebrates a new way of living, a generation that stops complaining about the church it sees and becomes the church it dreams of. (Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution, http://www.amazon.ca/Irresistible-Revolution-Shane-Claiborne/dp/0310266300/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233676295&sr=8-1)

and thought this:
sun's up- mm hmm- looks okay
the world survives into another day
and i'm thinking about eternity
(bruce cockburn, wondering where the lions are)

eternity- not the forever and a day kind, but the here and now kind. hope is a ray, having a beginning and no ending point, traveling towards a vague horizon.

what mission am i to fulfill at this point in time and space to actively participate in the sharing of hope and the moving forward of a people into a new day, prepared by God to be lived out to the realization of God's dream for us all?