Bridges and ships and safety nets,
long since left in ashes.

I find the edge again,
force broken bones to rise,
fall again.

-----------------------------------

 

As many of you know, I am not a big fan of most of what passes as CCM on the radio these days (or, for that matter, pretty much anything on the radio). But once in a while something comes out that strikes a chord in me, and this song struck me with this: defiance.

Yes, defiance. Don’t be fooled by appearances, or the way it sounds, or the fact that the Newsboys aren’t the Newsboys anymore. Listen to the opening lines:

“In this time of desperation

when all we know is doubt and fear
there is only one foundation:
 
We believe.
We believe.
We believe.”




Do you see it? Defiance against all that we see around us. And yet I couldn’t help but think: this is absurd. The song goes on to say all these different things we believe as Christians. Jesus. The Resurrection. The Second Coming. New life. These are things we believe in in spite of the fact that everything around us screams the opposite. The evidence we have, the facts we see cannot be ignored: desperation, doubt, and fear. And yet… we believe.

And yes, it is absurd. I understand why our critics scoff. It is as if we stand at the shore of the Red Sea with an Egyptian army bearing down on us and say, “We believe we can still escape… and defeat the enemy.” It is as if we stand in front of a fiery furnace and say, “We believe the flames will not burn us.” It is as if we kneel, crushed by the power of shame and sin, and say, “We believe grace is more than enough to raise us up again.”

Absurd… if we are wrong. But if we serve a God who performs last-minute rescues, if we serve a God who specializes in doing the impossible, if we serve a God whose love is the most powerful force in the universe… then absurdity becomes breathtaking power. All we see and know and can imagine is not the only reality. This is not as good as it gets. God is not done yet. He gets the last word.

“And the gates of hell will not prevail
for the power of God has torn the veil.
Now we know Your love will never fail.
We believe. We believe. We believe.”

So join with me and say: we believe.

If you are on the edge of something beautiful, say: we believe. If you are shattered in defeat, say: we believe. Wherever you are, whatever you face, say: we believe. Because there are blessings unseen in the hands of God just for you. It is terrifying, I know, but throw yourself into belief, fall into the unknown, and trust that Jesus will never fail you.

 We believe.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

I love you through a glass darkly,

dimly I perceive you in these pleasures –

light on my face, warmth on my skin.

Would I love you the same

under a cold and distant sun?

You shine nonetheless –

foolish, wasteful to my shaded eyes,

wasted as I love the love, leave the lover.

I cannot escape, cannot run far enough.

You pursue me with a thousand gifts –

glimpses of you just beneath the surface,

just behind the veil of your disguise.

Even in your shadow, I see you and know:

I do not yet see, do not yet know,

cannot comprehend and yet cannot deny.

All my blind stumbling, desperate grasping –

yours is the face I wish to find. 

I begin at the end.

Not because I can see it on the horizon. Not because I can see the path to it. Not because I can see, but precisely because I can’t.

If I am brutally honest, I do not even believe in this end. I look around at the rubble and ash, and think: impossible. There is no way from here to there.

Which is why I must write about the end now. Because at the end, there is redemption.

There must be.

It is the hardest truth to believe, but the only one I cling to when I doubt everything else: the redemption of all things.

Even now, I think again: impossible! There are some things too horrible, some wounds that cut too deep. Crushed beneath the weight of injustice, suffering, death… can there really be redemption at the end?

There must be.

The redemption of all things.

Yes, even that.

And not just a bandage. It is not enough for the past to be merely wiped away. We require redemption.

Strength from weakness. Life from death. A crown of beauty from ashes.

We require a love powerful enough to redeem us beyond mere restoration.

Impossible.

And yet…

• What was meant for evil, God used for good.
• Dry, dead bones coming to life.
• Lazarus hears the Voice of the Resurrection and the Life… of all things.
• All things work together for the good of those who are His.
• Restoration of all the years the locusts stole.
• Death swallowed up in victory.
• The God become man, who came to die, not just to destroy our curse, but to redeem it with His life in us – better off broken and redeemed than never lost at all.

Jesus, the Redeemer of all things.

Impossible, and yet there is no other hope. There is no other name.

Jesus.

“To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to each other,

‘We played the flute for you,

but you didn’t dance;

we sang a lament,

but you didn’t weep!’

For John the Baptist did not come eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindication by all her children.” (Luke 7:31-35)

There is a lot packed into this short passage, but for now I just want to focus on one thing: Jesus. Who is Jesus in this passage?

In this world, there are many who seek to sway others with their influence. Whether at home or at work, in politics or religion, there are those who expect that when they use their power to elicit a certain response in others, they will get it. And for the most part, they are not disappointed. For the most part, people are willing to dance to the tune being played.

It is interesting, on the other hand, that there are always people who are impossible to please; they are determined to be dissatisfied no matter what you do. Their standards shift and change depending on who they are currently upset with. This was the case with the Jews. When they turned against John the Baptist, they criticized him for abstaining from food and drink; when they turned against Jesus, they criticized him for consuming food and drink[1]. You can’t win with these people.

http://jesusistheword.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/jesus-is.png

This is what Jesus is pointing out here. He was reaching out to them in every way he could, but they refused to accept him. Instead, they expected him to play by their rules, but he didn’t. They wanted him to be swayed by their influence and desires, but he wasn’t.

I love this about Jesus. In a world where people – even good, strong leaders – are swayed under pressure, Jesus stands firm. Who is Jesus in this passage? Jesus is Jesus. He always has been. He always will be.

He is the one person you can always, always count on to be himself no matter what. And because Jesus is true to himself, he will be true to you. No one can sway his opinion of you. No one can convince him to love you less. No one can deter him from his life-mission to fully redeem you. He will keep reaching out to you in every way possible at every chance he gets.

This truth thrills me, fills me with confidence. Our weary souls find rest in his constancy! Jesus is Jesus. Always.

---

[1]It is also interesting to note that while Jesus was and is the friend of sinners, he was not the glutton and drunkard they claimed he was. If we wish to follow in Jesus’ steps and become a friend to sinners, we can also expect to be falsely accused of all kinds of things.

In Luke 7, Jesus goes to Capernaum. A Roman centurion’s servant was deathly ill and so he asked some of the Jewish elders to go ask Jesus to intervene.

“When they reached Jesus, they pleaded with Him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy for You to grant this, because he loves our nation and has built us a synagogue.’” (7:4)

This is interesting because the Jews did not like the Romans. But they liked this Roman because he had done some nice things for them (and maybe he would keep doing nice things for them). They make their case to Jesus basically like this: he has done nice things for us so you should do nice things for him. Apparently they weren’t paying attention to the whole love your enemies thing in chapter six.

But again, we aren’t so different, are we? We often follow the same logic: if I do nice things for God, then he will do nice things for me. This is the basis upon which we try to make trades with God. This is how we try to bargain with him. Or, if we are not that active, this is at least how we expect God to treat us. Thus, we spend a lot of time trying to establish our own worth.

This makes the response of the Roman centurion all the more interesting. Here is this outsider to the faith, this guy who has barely earned their conditional acceptance, and he is the only one who gets it right:

“Jesus went with them, and when He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell Him, ‘Lord, don’t trouble Yourself, since I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. That is why I didn’t even consider myself worthy to come to You.’” (7:6-7)

http://www.inspirationalposter.org/poster-6635-6093652/jesus-heals-centurions-servant-matthew-viii-5-13-giclee-print/

This centurion takes a completely opposite approach to his Jewish advocates. They said, “This guy is worthy, so help him out.” But he says, “I am not worthy, please help me.” And here is the reason why he says that: he realizes that the good that Jesus can and will do for us is not based on who we are, but on who Jesus is.

“But say the word, and my servant will be cured. For I too am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this!’ And he does it.” (7:7-8)

The power comes from Jesus, not from us. It is based on his authority, not our worth. You can rest easy. You can stop trying to prop up your own worth with flimsy attempts at good works and a polished exterior. Instead, you can turn to Jesus and trust fully in his goodness and his love. That is what faith is all about. You can hang all your hopes on him; he will not fail you.

“Jesus heard this and was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following Him, He said, ‘I tell you, I have not found so great a faith even in Israel!’ When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant in good health.” (7:9-10)

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Melissa at Joy Faith & Dirt. And while I don’t really know entirely what that means, it seemed fun and interesting, so here we go…

Here are the rules!

1.  Post the award on your blog.

2.  Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their blog.

3. Write 11 random facts about yourself.

4.  Nominate 11 bloggers who you feel deserve this award and have less than 1,000 followers. 

5.  Answer 11 questions posted by your presenter and ask your nominees to answer 11 questions.

My 11 Random Facts:
1. My favorite animal is a red fox.

2. I have recently become a fan of anime.

3. I have written four poetry books.

4. I have four more in the works.

5. I really enjoy the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genres.

6. I’m a pyro.

7. I love camping, canoeing, and backpacking.

8. My favorite genres of music are soothing acoustic folk and melt-your-face-off hard rock.

9. Photography is one of my favorite hobbies.

10. I’m currently writing in my 24^th journal.

11. Tacos are awesome.

The 11 Questions Asked Me:

1. If you were stranded on an island, what one thing would you want to take with you (no people)? Assuming I can’t take something to get me off the island (like a boat or teleportation device), and that I’m actually stranded, I would take a hatchet.

2. What's your biggest accomplishment to date? Probably the process of writing Shadows & Scars

3. What place do you most want to visit? New Zealand or China

4. How do you find material for your blog? By reading my Bible, books, news stories, and various online sources

5. What made you want to start your blog? I like to write

6. Have you always been a writer? Pretty much since grade school.

7. What's your favorite outdoor activity? camping

8. If you could convince everyone of one particular thing, what would it be? To give me two cents (or at least their two cents worth)

9. What is your favorite time of day and why? Late at night, because it is calm and quiet

10. Are you a chocolate or vanilla type of person? Chocolate

11. If you had to become an animal, which one would you choose and why? Red fox, because they are awesome.

My 11 Questions For My Nominees:

1. Are tacos your favorite food? If not, why?

2. What does the fox say?

3. What is your favorite book that most people haven’t heard of?

4. What is the best website in existence?

5. Where’s Waldo?

6. If you could meet one person from the past, who would it be and what one question would you ask him/her?

7. What is the best writing advice you’ve received?

8. What do you do for fun?

9. Which Bible character frustrates you the most, and why?

10. If you were invited on a one-way colonization flight to Mars for you and your family, would you go? Explain.

11. What is the most interesting dream you’ve ever had?

My Nominees!!!

1. Joy Faith & Dirt

2. Et Cetra 

3. Snellections

4. New Beginnings

5. Vivere Vix Deus

6. Terrace Light

            I was supposed to nominate 11 blogs, but you guys are so awesome I only had to nominate half(ish) that number! Huzzah.

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye.”

I used to think this passage was talking about two types of sins: bigger sins and smaller sins; and that if you had one of the bigger sins (a log), it was foolish of you to try to help remove a smaller sin (a speck) from someone else’s life. Which kinda made sense at the time, and of course made for some humorous imagery.

What I’ve come to realize, however, is that the context of this passage is what Jesus has just said a few verses earlier: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven” (6:37). The log which prevents you from seeing clearly enough to help with someone else’s speck is not some random larger sin. The log in your eye is specifically the sin of judging. It is the spirit of judgment and condemnation.

Realizing this came as quite an ironic twist to me. It is often those who think they don’t have any sin (or at least not any big sins) in their life that are the most likely to be judgmental in dealing with another person’s sin. I know; I’ve been that person. On the other hand, those who see their own sin – and the mercy that covers them – are the ones who are able to see clearly enough to support another in their own struggle against sin.

I think the point is this: if you want to help someone else, you first have to remove your judgmental attitude towards them. You have to come to them in a spirit of love and forgiveness. Then, and only then, can you be an agent of God’s redemptive spirit in their life.