winning isn’t everything….

This is a short post on why I dislike the sports analogies when dealing with our sanctification (our journey with God after our conversion). The catalyst of this rant is found here, where the tagline is:

In the Win Every Battle® seminar you will learn the basic building blocks of indeed winning every battle regardless of the circumstances. There really are basic, very powerful biblical forces which need to be understood and released in your life to win – really win¹

I don’t know about you, but this type of theology/philosophy seems to be marketed (and I use ‘marketed’ intentionally) to those that want a quick fix to all their problems, or someone who wants a ROI that is beyond earthly standards… this, this and this also comes to mind when thinking about this type of marketing.

Why does this bother me so… Well, I think it is because IT’S A SCAM!

It promises more than “Christ” can deliver.  God is not a genie in a bottle… to be rubbed when our circumstances are less than favorable or our purses less than bountiful.  It saddens me that many are duped into this philosophy and pay their hard earned cash to go to conferences like this, which promise easy success if only you follow the newest 10 step plan.  It is bothersome because the words of Jesus do not mirror this perspective, in fact, most times His words are quite the opposite, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ²

It seems that Jesus rarely talked about individual success, but rather emphasized giving, sacrifice, and love in the context of community.  Jesus’ words constantly challenged us to look outside ourselves, to do nothing out of selfish ambition³ rather He pleads that we show mercy to the marginalized just as we have been shown mercy.  And this is my biggest contention with this winning every battle philosophy - it is just so selfish.  We live in a individualistic culture, one that has skewed the teachings of Jesus, into a “Gameplan for Success” and has marginalized the beauty of sacrifice.

What do you think?  How do you see the scriptures?  Is it a Playbook, a Gameplan for winning, or is it something more….

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1. Winning Every Battle® http://www.wineverybattle.com

2. [youversion]Matthew 6:19-20[/youversion]

3. [youversion]James 3:13-18[/youversion] and [youversion]Philippians 2:3-11[/youversion]

fundamentals…

My freshman year of High School, I had a basketball coach that always said, “It’s all fundamentals men!” In pre-season practice we would spend hours ‘working on the fundamentals’ - countless drills that didn’t end in someone shooting a ball into a hoop - they seemed to drag on forever… Like the song that never ends, we spent hours dribbling through cones, passing to partners, there was never any culmination… until a moment in time when the coach would blow his whistle and say, “Ok, that’s enough fundamentals, now let’s play some basketball.”

As the season began, more and more time was spent practicing the “game of basketball” than practicing the fundamentals. It was a natural progression, once the fundamentals were understood, once the basics became as natural as breathing, then one could begin to improvise and use the fundamentals not in their natural form, but in their dynamic state. Passing became more complex because of the obstacles on the court. Dribbling became more elaborate as other hands tried to steal the ball. The fundamentals where there, in theory, but the game demanded more than theory, it demanded experimentation, reaction and application.

What happens when a one never matures past the fundamentals…? Whether they do this by choice or by culture, if they remain stoically attached only to the basics they would be labeled a fundamentalist.

Basketball is a great starting point, but I want to transition to religion… more specifically religious fundamentalism.

None would argue with the observation that we are in a time of upheavel: in economic, religious, political and social terms. In this upheaval we are seeing movement within the spectrum of belief (not just religious), some have moved closer to the center, call it bipartisanship or becoming moderate in thought and action.  And others have moved in an opposite direction, a polarization of political belief, religious conviction and economic theory.  Steering this conversation to the religious realm, I want to discuss what this polarization has done within the two most discussed religions of the day, namely Christianity and Islam.

Fundamentalism - a term that has consistently been used to describe the most extreme voices in Christendom and Islam. Used as an adjective and a descriptive noun one is a “fundamentalist” or a Christian Fundamentalist, or a Fundamentalist Muslim. These descriptions pull very divisive pictures from our memory banks, and also connote ugliness and hate with religious overtones.

Over the next two days I want to have a conversation with you about religious fundamentalism, I am going to try and persuade you to move beyond your basic knowledge of your specific religiosity and be curious with me… I am going to leave you with this quote from Seth Godin, and it is one that will spur this discussion forward:

A fundamentalist is a person who considers whether a fact is acceptable to his religion before he explores it. As opposed to a curious person who explores first and then considers whether or not he wants to accept the ramifications. A curious person embraces the tension between his religion and something new, wrestles with it and through it, and then decides whether to embrace the new idea or reject it.¹

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1. Tribes (2008); Seth Godin, pg 63

some deep thoughts…

…inspired by some deep writings.

Narrative speaks to the heart in order that the heart, so tutored, may direct and inform the mind.¹

Why do I love the Gospel story so much…? Mostly because, when framed properly, it is a story of a broken relationship with our Creator and His pursuit of reconciliation, through His son Jesus. The story has moments of tragedy and ugliness juxtaposed with seasons of love and beauty, a truly momentous story that is so beautiful it must be true (Orthonomy).²

In this narrative, what then is the authority? This is an argument between sola scriptura³ and sola christus⁴… Most emergents tend to lean on a tripod of authority: scripture, Jesus and community; moving the narrative into the context of today without the polarization of the last five hundred years. It is no longer seen as either/or (sola scriptura/sola christus), rather it is a amalgamation of the two within the context of community.

So the narrative continues… it is not a story with a scripted ending, rather it is an ongoing narrative of God’s pursuit of our hearts, with which we must grab ahold - in order to filter and drive our thoughts towards His heart for our lives. And as our thoughts are driven to Christ, His words ring in our ears and play out with our hands. “To love the Lord with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself.”⁵

Heart to mind to hands.

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1. The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle; pg 160
2. Orthonomy - a correct harmoniousness or beauty - as a tool for discerning the truth.
3. sola scriptura, scriptura sola - Martin Luther, the scripture alone is the authority by which we live
4. sola christus - Jesus Christ alone is the authority by which we live, whose words are found in the scriptures
5. [youversion]Matthew 22:37-39[/youversion]

it hurts so good…

my head is swimming.  I started this new job one week ago today and have been in “it.”

It has been a great week and much has been accomplished, though much more is coming down the pipe… this is one of those jobs that I always dreamed about, where everyone is motivated, competitive, and excellent at what they do!  Time seems to be my enemy as I am trying to guzzle down every drop shot from a water canon, without getting my shirt wet (impossible)!

So with that in mind, I am trying to fight off a few things that always creep in my subconcious in times like these… namely feelings of inadequecy and doubt.

1) I am inadequate to perform the task(s) assigned, and

2) I doubt that God really led me to this job.

Inadequacy and doubt are nuetralizers, they disable so many people in the pursuit of their dreams, hopes and desires… Especially when you begin to work on Kingdom issues and in joining the work of God in this world!  Although they are huge obstacles to overcome, they never should curtail the pursuit of God’s best in your life.  Here is why:

Feelings of inadequacy remind us that we are not in complete control of our life… Even though I may be qualified for my job, there are still areas in which fate, circumstance, and other people have an influence over the outcomes of my day.  Though qualified I am ultimately inadequate to respond successfully in every situation… Which reminds me that a life of complete dependency on Christ is paramount to overcoming the obstacles in each day.

Seeds of doubt can sprout and lead to dissatisfaction and unfair comparisons.  When we become dissatisfied with our particular role, we may begin to compare, measure and evaluate others in a opportunistic light… Seeking ways in which to tear down others in order to feel good about our own self image.  This must be rooted out of our thinking!  Doubt must lead to knowledge.  What I mean is that instead of wallowing in our doubt, we must begin to step out of the pool of despair, into the realm of certainty.  Small steps at first, until we get our footing, and then we can leap and bound towards the assurance that comes in Christ.  That he has made each and every one of us for a purpose… enabled us with gifts, strengths, and abilities… not to conquer those around us, but to lead those around us to build the Kingdom of God here and now!

So I will be dependent on Christ through my inadequacy, never allowing doubt to establish any roots in my heart, instead I will stand on the certainty that comes through the gifts and talents God has given me.

quote of today…

‘Life is a metaphor, death a pun.’

- Samuel A. Duregger (in response to an accusation of making everything an analogy)