moving

I'm doing it. I'm moving to Wordpress. Their templates are hideous (although I found one that's amusing-ly appropriate) and I can't stand CSS, but I want "The Esther Project" and their behind-the-scenes stuff is great.

So it's not all set up yet, but it's not like I'm any kind of professional or anything. Change your bookmarks and links (please) to:

theestherproject.wordpress.com

If I ever find time to blog again, it'll be there!

Advent Day 19

I dig the Advent Conspiracy. I don't know when they started this, but I first heard about it a couple years ago. It seems they're gaining momentum. Watch the video, then check 'em out here.

Advent Day 18

Matthew 24:37/But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

So I thought I'd look at the days of Noah. In light of yesterday's post, the beginning of chapter 7 caught my attention:

Genesis 7:1/Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

It was "in this generation" that grabbed me. The generation in question is the one that is found so wicked, they merit complete destruction. A chapter earlier we read, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5).

Every intent was only evil ... continually.

That's pretty bad. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that generation was more displeasing (wicked, evil - choose your loaded adjective) than ours. I'm sure that's where we're headed, since the Lord said the last days would be like the days of Noah, but that's not the point today.

Noah was found righteous before God in that generation. Moreso, Noah was the only one found righteous before God in that generation. Surrounded by perversion, violence, immorality, and hatred - with no mentor or pastor -Noah maintained his heart before God.

If that's what God expected of His people in the beginning, it's what He expects of His people in the end too. Surrounded by our culture, and in the midst of a deteriorating society, God expects us to be found righteous before Him. He understands our temptations, but He doesn't excuse falling for them.

Noah did it in the middle of that generation. Shouldn't we be able to do it in ours?

Advent Day 17

Gay Group Organizes 'Pink Christmas' in Amsterdam

I debated about posting this.

It bothers me that Christians are known - in our society - for what we are against. It bothers me that people associate negative images more often than images of love and compassion. I try not to go there.

But you know what? Jesus is against some things. He's not against people, but He's against sin. He died to pry people (whom He's not against) from sin (which He is against).

I'm not against people. The Bible says that everyone sins. I'm not holier than thou. I am against sin, though - in your life and mine - because God is.

And I realize there are people who will read this as "Blah blah blah blah God hates fags blah blah blah." That's not true - and that's not what I'm saying - but I know that some people are just so bitter and hurt and broken that that's all they'll hear.

I can't tailor my voice around people who cling to sin, though. Jesus didn't.

So I don't hate these people, but what they're doing bothers me.

The festival features "a manger stall with two Josephs and two Marys." The event "intends to increase the range of options for homosexual men and women during the Christmas holiday week."

Increase the range of options? Options? For Christmas? Does the idea - forget that it's focusing on homosexuals - seem strange to anyone else? We need options for Christmas now?

Your option is whether or not to celebrate Christmas. If you don't want to celebrate Christmas, there are other options. Winter Solstice. Hanukkah. Eid. You could even just go secular "Christmas" and just do Santa Claus and stockings and that whole bit.

I understand the desire for equal rights. I understand fighting against stereotypes that tend to invalidate your lifestyle. This I don't understand. Set up a nativity scene with two Josephs? That's just not how it happened. That's where you move from remembering and celebrating the holiday, to imposing your views and distorting the truth just because it makes you more comfortable or makes some sort of statement you can rally behind.

Advent is a time to anticipate His coming. These days that we're living in are to prepare us for His return. These are times for me to mold myself into His image, not the other way around.

Break for Ornament Making

Husband and I started this a couple years ago. Whether or not we skipped a year recently is debatable since no one seems to remember. Which is weird.

Our first Christmas tree was barren because it was our first Christmas and we didn't have Rubbermaid tubs full of ornaments to haul out. So we invited people (read: student ministry leaders, mostly) over to make ornaments. It was so much fun we threw out the ornaments with the tree so we could do it again the following year (and because that apartment was tiny and one less thing to store was okay).

This year it was more like a student ministry leader reunion/ornament-making party. Good times.

There are more pictures on Facebook.


Someday, our kids are going to think it's weird that people store Christmas decorations. :)

Advent Day 13

First, two thoughts I'm toying with.

1- Moving the blog to WordPress. There are pros and cons. The biggest con being I don't know CSS and their templates are hideous.

2- Starting another blog on which to archive the mess of ideas and information in my head about the emerging generation/emerging church/digital natives/etc. I study these things at work and they're becoming more and more applicable, which means more and more people are talking about them. How technology has changed the next generation and what the Church needs to do about it. Not sure if I should do that stuff here, or start another forum for that.

I'm open for wisdom on both accounts. I'm also open for anyone who wants to help me with CSS.

Advent Day 13
Are you ready for this?

"What if ... just what if ... we aren't raptured before the tribulation?" Husband was asking a friend recently. "What if we're here for all of it?"

"I don't know," was the reply (or so I'm told). "I hadn't thought of that."

I don't want to argue about when exactly the rapture is going to happen. I've thrown myself into the issue for the past couple months and I'm secure in my understanding of scripture. The conversation tends to be divisive and I don't feel like arguing this evening.

What I do feel like doing is examining my heart toward the Lord.

So what if? What if the interpretation that says believers will be taken from the earth after (or sometime during) the tribulation is true? If we've believed all our lives that we'll be whisked away just in time, what happens if I'm suddenly in the midst of a natural disaster that wipes out a third of the global population? What if I suddenly start to realize that those horrible prophecies are happening and I'm still here? Do I still love Him?

What if loves ones make the wrong decision in that day and choose to stand against Him when He comes to establish His kingdom on the earth? He is just and His judgments are true. Do I still worship Him?

Read the first six verses of Isaiah 63. It's going to happen (whether I'm here or not). Do I still run to Him?

The western world knows Jesus - especially at this time of year - as "Wonderful, Counselor ... Prince of Peace." He is those things. But He's also a warrior. There will be peace, but not at the cost of justice.

When it happens, though - when He's true to Himself instead of true to my understanding of Him - will I love Him the same? Will I worship Him the same?

Advent Day 12

"What Child Is This?" is probably one of my favorite Christmas songs. I like how it captures the mystery of the Nativity.

And I like ZOEgirl's rendition of it. I don't know who put this on YouTube, but it's the only version I could find. The picture doesn't change, so you can hit play and keep reading.

What Child is this who, laid to rest, on Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing,
Haste, haste to bring Him laud, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate, where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear for sinners here, the silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, the cross be borne for me and you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him frankincense, gold and myrrh, come peasant, king to own Him,
The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone Him.

Raise, raise a song on high, the virgin sings her lullaby
Joy, joy for Christ is born, the Babe, the Son of Mary.

A child is born to a new couple in horrible circumstances, and yet what was the atmosphere that night? How heavy was the presence of God at the moment that He first breathed as a man? What was the spiritual scene? How many of the angels were there, looking on in wonder and amazement that Yahweh would do such a thing? Could Mary and Joseph know, or feel, the weight of what had just happened?

Was this the song that everyone sang that night? "What Child is this?" The angels because of how incomprehensible that God would become human for the sake of those who hate and reject Him? The shepherds because for their entire lives they'd heard stories that one day ... one day the Messiah would come to deliver their people? Mary and Joseph because of the trials they had endured and overcome to get that far?

How many other new babies lay in their mothers' laps that evening, and yet this one ... What Child is this? What has God done? What is He doing? Where does His perfect plan go from here? How can a baby, born in a stable, be the answer to Israel's prayers? To the world's desperation?

Advent Day 11

This piece was painted by Andrew Gadd for the Churches Advertising Network. You can download it for free here.

Francis Goodwin, Chair of CAN, commented, "We want to challenge people to make them reassess what the birth of Jesus means to them."

Gadd had this to say about it:

"The bus stop when simplified is like a stable. It is after all a shelter; a place people go to but never want to be. So where better to stage a nativity? How unlikely! The image reflects the environment it will be shown in, and therefore includes the viewer. Which is what it is all about."

My favorite part about the painting is that some people are engaged - standing still in the cold to watch what God is doing, while others are oblivious - checking bus schedules or hailing a cab, too concerned with their own lives to see what's going on right next to them.

What does the birth of Christ mean to me? How often do I stay still, even in the cold, to watch what God is doing? To meditate on what He did 2000 years ago in a stable? Am I too busy to see the miracle right next to me?

The same is true of His approaching return. What does it mean to me really? Do I ever hold still long enough to watch what He's doing - without worrying, without planning, without trying to figure it out? Do I ever just admire Him in it?

When He comes again it won't be a secret, silent night. No one will have to paint it on bus stops in order to include the viewers. Those two responses, however, will still be available: watch in wonder of a merciful, loving God, or remain caught up in myself and miss it.

Advent Day 10

It's been brought to my attention that my numbers are incorrect, since Advent actually began on the 30th, the 9th of December is Advent Day #10. My deepest apologies.

I've been thinking about Joseph since my little incident with the soap box a couple days ago. Joseph of Nazareth. Joseph "the Carpenter." Whatever you want to call him. Not the one with the technicolor dream coat. The New Testament Joseph.

My impression of Joseph developed after watching The Nativity. If you haven't seen that movie yet, you absolutely have to rent it this year. If you have, you probably saw Joseph in a new light too.

Joseph may go down in history as one of the greatest examples of servant-hood, because history remembers little about him.

Paul (the apostle) was a great servant of God, but he also wrote much of the New Testament. Mary (the womb) was a great servant of God, and to this day she's heralded almost as a goddess herself. David was a great servant of God, and thousands of years later is remembered as Israel's greatest king. They all went through their hardships, but they're also all remembered. No one knows much about Joseph today.

Consider this man's journey. He's just your typical Jewish carpenter in a worthless little town called Nazareth. He's lower-middle-class, blue-collar boring. He finds a girl he likes and they're engaged. To Joseph, that means he has a year to build a house and prepare a place for his bride. She goes on a vacation during that time to "visit her cousin," and comes back obviously pregnant.

Scandal.

This is a small, everybody-knows-your-name town. Everybody knows that Joseph is engaged to a young woman who did not keep herself for him. She's shameful. She's a slut. The law suggests she be stoned to death for her crime; it's that serious in this culture.

He's hurt and confused, and now he has a decision to make. He can uphold the law - and defend his name - by calling for her execution, or he can "put her away quietly" and be considered weak. He chooses the later.

We know the story. At the word of an angel of God, Joseph takes this woman as his wife anyway. Don't think that was easy to do. Then he takes her on a journey - I don't know how long - to his home town to be registered. All the movies show her riding on a donkey, but the scriptures never actually mention a donkey. She may have walked. That was sloooooow going. And we all know that pregnant women can be cranky and irrational and crave weird things. Who knows what that journey was like for the poor man.

And if you want to get really practical, consider he hadn't even gotten to "know" - as they say - his wife. They weren't even really married yet. He went through the whole pregnant wife/child birthing thing as a virgin himself. Poor guy.

To this day he gets very little thanks among men. People worship Mary, but no one even knows when Joseph died. He just vanishes from the story after they lose Jesus in the temple as a boy.

And - I love this - have you ever noticed he never speaks in scripture? Not one word is recorded in any of the gospels as, "and Joseph said, '...'" There's no record of complaint. No record of questioning. No record of boasting. He just listened and obeyed the voice of the Lord. He carted a woman and a baby from Nazareth to Bethlehem to Egypt and back again, providing for all of their physical needs along the way, in quiet, humble obedience. In return, history on earth has largely forgotten him.

Would that I were more like Joseph.

Advent Day 5 and 6

Day 5
Missed you yesterday, 'cause Fridays are insane for me. I was just going to point you to another Advent calendar you may enjoy. Amazon.com is giving away one free Christmas song/day. Fun. Here.

Day 6
So about this ... oh look, what's this? Oh, it's a little soap box. How did this get here? Hmm. It's not very pretty, but it looks hella sturdy. Let me just see if I can climb up on top of ...

I'm going to say this. I am. And no, it's not pretty, but it's sturdy and I'm sure it will hold me. I may even jump up and down on it a little bit 'cause I'm just that comfortable on it.

I work at a church two days a week. Three days a week I work for a company that works for churches. I read lots and lots of pastor and church-people blogs and books. I'm up to my eyeballs in Western church stuff. And a lot of the time, it's really stinkin' irritating. So here goes:

Christians, the church does not exist to serve you.

Ya, ya. Everybody knows that and I'm sure it doesn't apply to you. Humor me, though, and read it again. I mean the Church - capital "C" that represents believers, and the church - small "c" meaning a local congregation and it's leadership. Neither exists to serve you.

This thing is not about market niches or ad campaigns or superior customer service. It's not for you or by you. It should be the one non-residential building you will enter that will not cater to you. It should be the one budget to which contributing does not buy you an opinion.

My role as a believer is to go to the Lord, with my husband, about which local church our family is to be a part of, and how the gifts/talents that He has given us are to serve in that congregation. That's it. Sometimes, leadership does things that I don't understand. Occasionally, leadership does things that I don't agree with. I pray for my leaders, and I remember that it is God who exalts men into authority.

I don't leave a local congregation until God moves me. I don't "shop" or "date" or "hop" local churches when my current one does something I don't like. If something happens, and I'm taken out of my local church, we pray - and God tells us where to go.

It's about me serving the body of Christ in whatever capacity in which He puts me. Imagine if everyone in your church was focused on how they can serve the church, instead of how the church is helping them. We might actually reach the lost. People in our communities might actually get saved. Churches might actually be the hands and feet of Christ.

Because really, it's not the job of the local church - or her leadership - to grow you spiritually. She helps, because she's nice. But someday each one of us will answer for our own Bible studies, our own prayer lives, our own giving records, etc. "My church never talked about tithing," isn't going to cut it at the end of the day. It's the job of the local church to provide a place where non-believers can find their way to Christ. It's there to help you bring your unsaved friends to God. It's about non-Christians.

And there's your Advent meditation for the day. Let's prepare for His coming by become better servants - like He told us to.

Advent Day 4

Today, a practical Advent activity.

I like the guys over at The Plow. They do cool graphics stuff for churches (not their official mission statement). They also make a lot of their stuff available for free download. Who doesn't like a good, free download?

This is their latest:


And their tips on how you can participate:

1. Download the art here, or go to the website to download. Print it out, and get ready for action.
2. Staple the posters up on telephone poles.
3. Hammer the biggest nail you can find right in the center of the red.
4. Share the site with all of your friends. Post it on your blog, facebook, twitter and every other social media site you use.

Pretty cool. So meditate on the comings of Christ and prepare yourself spiritually for Christmas (and the Second Coming), but then go nail some of these to telephone poles too.

Advent Day 3

(HT: The image to the right was the result of a quick Google image search, but I actually really like it so I have to plug. Shaker Workshops makes that beauty and it's going for $50. You can buy me one if you want to.)

One of my favorite Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah is Isaiah 9. Verse 6 is the one you hear a lot this time of year, but start in verse 2:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.

You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; They rejoice before You according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. and fuel of fire.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

(v. 2-7)

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light ..."

When you turn from the end of Malachi to the beginning of Matthew, you brush 400 years by in a moment. For four hundred years, Israel hadn't heard from God. They lived repressed by the Roman empire, hoping against hope that any day now that King would come. For 400 years. Our country hasn't even been around for 400 years. That's probably about eight generations. Your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great-grandparents were alive the last time God spoke to His people.

Four hundred years of waiting without hearing from God equals how many years of waiting with Holy Spirit rocking the planet? IDK.

Verses six and seven are fantastic 'cause they kind of smush the nativity together with His return. Two thousand years isn't much in light of eternity - obviously. I like how it ends:

"The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."

zeal: eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something

In case there was any question.

The God who created the heavens and the earth with a breath came into His creation as the broke baby of a woman largely perceived as a slut. He died the most horrible death the Romans could contrive as an innocent Man. And soon, He will come back to establish His kingdom and be with us forever. Why?

Eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of you.

Advent Day 2

I really like this song. The skit going on is a little cheesy, but the song is great. I love the first verse:

Come, come and behold the Son
Come, come and behold the babe
Come, see what the Lord has done
Come, heaven has made a way ...

"See what the Lord has done ..."

Think about that. The fullness of God came to earth and was born in less than glamorous circumstances. A baby. A weak, slimy, baby. God. Creator. The one who spoke and it was. In a baby. That's ridiculous.

Not even a pretty, pampered baby. A broke baby. A broke baby born to what the world would ridicule as a weak man and a whore. The I AM. In a baby.

Lord, what have You done?

It will be a popular question again soon. Imagine. The sky splits in two. The dead rise. Believers are caught up in the air. War is raging and the Prince of Peace comes to establish His reign on the earth. The great and terrible day will come and for good or bad people will call, "Come, see what the Lord has done."

Advent

Advent is a strange Christian tradition. It starts four Sundays before Christmas (for those of you who don't know), which was yesterday, and is supposed to ... I don't know ... anticipate Christmas. Anticipating Christmas in our society means shopping, racking up credit card debt, scheduling every free moment of every weekend, and being cranky at people in public (@tamipants).

The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before… .What is possible is to not see it, to miss it, to turn just as it brushes past you. And you begin to grasp what it was you missed, like Moses in the cleft of the rock, watching God's [back] fade in the distance. So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running. For rushing. For worrying. For pushing. For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon.

Jan L. Richardson, Night Visions

God bless the German Lutherans for advent calendars (and Christmas trees). You know - you peel off a tab every day and get candy or scripture, depending on the calendar you bought. I should find one of those for '08.

I found this quote in thinking/surfing about Advent:

It was not suddenly and unannounced that Jesus came into the world. He came into a world that had been prepared for him. The whole Old Testament is the story of a special preparation … . Only when all was ready, only in the fullness of his time, did Jesus come.

Phillips Brooks, The Consolations of God

This season should mean something more to Christians in general, but especially for Christians who are looking for - and expecting - His return. In a season of anticipation, what we are looking toward in the festivities is the nativity. The nativity points us to Christ, and that expectation of a coming King should be stirring our spirits toward the expectation of our King's return.

I'm going to try to make this blog my Advent calendar this year. I'm sure I'll miss days, but I'm going to try. What are we lifting our heads and looking for? Gifts? Family gatherings? Cards, parties and decorations? Yes. But let's also look for the God who became man, died in your place, and promised to come back for you one day soon ...