Going to Extremes

I recognize that I have had a history of going to extremes—that is just my personality. I can get very passionate about new ideas. Then a few weeks (or hours) later, my viewpoint might be the opposite. For example, there was that time when I became a Preterist for a couple weeks. For anyone who doesn’t know what that is—it is someone who thinks that many of the prophesies of the New Testament esp. Revelation were fulfilled in the first century. I stumbled upon the view on the internet and there were some really interesting claims. I don’t agree with it now. The only thing I believe for certain about eschatology is that I know Christ will return as promised and I should live as if it were today.

Then there was the time I had a great conversation with an author at Borders and was interested in his research on the lost tribes of Israel. I was all excited about the history he was describing until I stumbled upon the fact that he was part of a group that supported British Israelism that seeks to identify Britain and her colonies (like America) as the true modern identity of Israel. Turns out it was a cult. (By the way you can find a list of cults at http://www.watchman.org/cat95.htm ) I’ve saved it to my favorites so that I use more caution in the future.

My extremism was present at a young age. My family loves to mention the phase I went through in second grade when I would wear my patchwork dress almost exclusively. I wore it to school about 3 times a week because it could be worn 3 different ways—by itself, with a red vest, and with the reversible vest turned with patchwork side out. On one of the other days I would wear a pink gingham dress and on the remaining school day I would wear these pink shorts that had ice cream cones on them. I was obsessed with the patchwork dress mainly because it was so comfortable. What my family forgets is my 3rd or 4th grade year when I went to the opposite extreme. I took inventory of all my clothes. Then I created a chart where I perfectly spaced out the outfits over the entire semester. I posted the chart on the wall near my bed and followed it religiously.

Then there was my obsession with globes. I can’t really say why I wanted to collect them—it wasn’t a sudden interest in geography. I just liked the look of them. I had calendars, wrapping paper, journals etc. all with a globe theme and my favorite store in the world was the Globe Corner Bookstore in Boston, MA. I insisted on taking both of my globes to college my freshman year. It is hard to pack a globe because you can’t flatten it. I remember that I held one of my globes in my lap during the entire 5 hour drive from home to college since I refused to leave it behind. Now, I don’t have either of those globes and sometimes forget that I even went through that phase.

Oh, I also went through a John Piper phase. When I first began reading his book “Desiring God” I did not agree with him, but by the end of the book I was convinced by him. A few months later, I was back to disagreeing with his hyper-Calvinism. I just think the guy lacks balance when it comes to God’s sovereignty versus human freedom of choice. (I guess it is rather ironic that I’m criticizing someone for a lack of balance).

So as you can see, I do have a natural propensity for going to extremes. I’m sure that is what my older sister was thinking when I told her I was no longer going to attend a traditional church. It is pretty extreme for a seminary grad to pop up with that idea. That is one reason why I have been hesitant to even write about what has now been a 3 ½ month journey. I think enough time has passed to say that it is more than one of my short-lived phases. I will address this issue further in future articles.

Boundaries at the Checkout

I was just reading on my sister, Ruth's blog that one of the things she learned from me when I was visiting a few weeks ago was that it is rude to move items people are about to purchase when you are standing behind them in the line at the grocery store, Walmart, etc. I wanted to expound upon this pet peeve of mine. What started it was that while Ruth & I were at Walmart, the woman behind us had the gall to move my stuff forward! As is typical, there was no divider to put between people's stuff. Ruth had some purchases and I had some purchases, but I put some space between ours so the cashier would know when hers left off and mine began. Well, the woman behind us pushed all of my items up into Ruth's. I had to explain to the cashier what was Ruth's and what was mine. I was soooo steamed. When we got into the parking lot, I exclaimed to Ruth about how miffed I was that the lady touched my stuff, totally thinking Ruth would be on my side. She didn't understand. She admitted she has done this before, never realizing it might be rude. Although I don't think she ever understood why I was so upset, she plans to respect other's boundaries in the future.

The way I see it, touching other people's purchases is a total violation of boundaries. No matter how much you think they have done a poor job of stacking their stuff on the conveyer belt, you have no right to touch it. Be PATIENT. They have waited in line too and have every right to monopolize as much of the conveyer belt as they need. It isn't your business. Wait your turn. For all intents and purposes, those items belong to them now because within seconds they will be paying for them. If you touch their items it is the same as trespassing on their property. Would you want someone to put their cup on your car hood or lean against your car? It is the same thing. If you can't wait to put your stuff up on the belt until there is actually room for it, you need to take a chill pill or try online shopping. In fact, it would be good if your stuff is a hand's width away from mine if there is no divider. When you touch my stuff I feel violated. You are in my personal space. Besides, I have no idea when you last washed your hands. I'd rather you not handle something I might wear or eat when I don't even know who you are.

Latter-Borns Rule! (It's Biblical)

A brother in Christ was reminding us last night that God lifts up the humble and the least are made first. The story about James and John asking to be on either side of Christ in His kingdom was brought up. It just reminded me of all the many places in the Bible where God has made this evident. From the very beginning, God has been weaving a story that demonstrates His purposeful intention to raise up those who were considered least. This is particularly true with His constant obsession with honoring the latter-born children when, in the Hebrew culture, the bulk of the blessing and inheritance went to the firstborn.

First, we see it with Cain and Abel. God is pleased with Abel's sacrifice rather than Cain's who was the firstborn. Cain is jealous and kills his brother. God then raises up Seth, the last born son to Adam & Eve, and it is through Seth that the Messiah will be descended.

The lineage of Israel and through which the Messiah is promised seems to trickle down through latter-born children. Isaac receives Abraham's blessing and he is the second born. Isaac's second born son Jacob also receives the blessing rather than his older twin Esau. The most love and blessing is given to Jacob's son Joseph (11th of 12). Jacob also loved his youngest, Benjamin. Later, we see that the leadership of Israel is given to Moses (the last born of 3 children). Gideon, one of the judges, points out that he is not a first born child.

Samuel is asked to anoint a new king from among Jesse's 8 sons. They don't even bother to call number 8 away from his sheep-tending duties, because it is assumed he won't be chosen. But it is David, the last born son, who is chosen to be Israel's greatest king. David's son Solomon followed him to the throne even though he was one of his later children. In the story of the prodigal son, the younger son is honored when he returns while the elder brother is bitter.

All these examples are there for a reason--to show us that what our world considers greatest, God tends to pass by. He prefers to turn it on its head and lift up those whom the world ignores. Of course, I'm thinking that first born children won't appreciate this post as much as my fellow latter-borns. Oh well! You can't deny the truth.

New Poll on Purpose

Now that you have read my 4 part series on life's purpose, I'd like to find out what you think. Please vote on the poll on the right (under the blog archive)

Life's Purpose (Part 4)

Our purpose is mentioned in Matthew 7:22-23 when it says, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.” Notice that God says he doesn’t know them (“know” being a term that denotes intimacy and relationship). God does not turn people away from heaven because they didn’t glorify Him. He turns them away because they failed to abide in a relationship with Him. The only way we can even begin such a relationship is by repenting of our sin (that originally separated us from Him) and trusting in Christ’s ability to save us by His sacrifice on the cross so that our relationship can be restored with God.
Romans 14:11 says, “For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall give praise to God.’” Philippians 2:9-11 says, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” So we see that all humans will one day glorify God—they will finally ascribe to Him the worth due to Him. But will all these people have fulfilled their purpose for living? No—a resounding no. Many will perish in eternal hell. Why? Because they refused to abide in Him when they had the chance before He revealed Himself in all His glory. They refused to have faith and trust Him back when it wasn’t so obvious. If it is true, as some maintain, that our purpose is to glorify God, and this passage states that a day will come when all humans will glorify Him, then one would have to believe that all people will fulfill their purpose. That simply is not true. Only those who travel through the narrow gate—those who believe, trust, and abide in the faith until the end (in other words come to know and find intimacy with Him) will have fulfilled the purpose of God’s plan for their lives. And only they will receive the reward of eternal life.

Life's Purpose (Part 3)

The following post is a continuation of a series. Please scroll down to read Parts 1 & 2 if you have not already:

Before the fall, Adam and Eve fulfilled their purpose. They had intimacy with each other and God. It was a common thing for them to walk and talk with God in the garden in the cool of the evening. When they sinned, the thing that was broken was their relationship and intimacy with God. We know that their ability to enjoy intimacy with each other was the first effect of the fall. They were ashamed of their nakedness. For the first time they could not share openly with each other without fear of being misunderstood. They hid from God because their capacity for intimacy, communion, and fellowship had been shattered. If their purpose in life had been glorifying God and their sin had destroyed their capacity for this, we might instead read that they haughtily hunted down God and proclaimed their own value to be greater than His now that they knew good and evil like He did. But we do not find that in Scripture. The broken thing was a relationship, so they hid as we often do when we are out of fellowship others.


My favorite hymns are ones that talk about that relationship. I love “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” “In the Garden,” and “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” My favorite verse is Revelation 21:3, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.” Why do I love this verse so much? To me, it is the perfect moment that we see Scripture come full circle. Once again we will dwell with God just as Adam and Eve did in the garden. The relationship will be restored in both a spiritual and physical sense. That word dwell pops up continually in Scripture and is a word that denotes a relationship with God.

Another great word is the word “abide”—one of John’s favorites. John 15 talks about our purpose—indicating that to fulfill our purpose in Christ, we must remain connected to the vine. We do so by abiding in Him. The word in the Greek is “meno” and means “to stay”: continue, dwell, endure, remain, stand, tarry (for). Dwelling and abiding with God have everything to do with intimacy and relationship and nothing at all to do with ascribing value to or glorifying Him.

Humankind’s Unique Purpose (Part 2)

This post is a continuation of the series starting with "Life's Purpose." Reading that first will help this make sense:
The reason that glorifying God is not a human’s main purpose is that it is not unique to us. Everything that God created glorifies Him. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament showeth his handiwork.” Stones can also glorify God. Luke 19:37-40 says, “As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting: “blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples." But Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!" If humans won’t glorify Him, He can always get the stones to do it. Angels glorify Him. There are seraphim around God’s throne who cry out to one another about God’s holiness and glory (Isaiah 6) and believe me, they are much better at glorifying Him than we are. The largest star we have seen so far (Canis Majoris) is much more effective at ascribing to God the proper magnification/weight due Him than any of us shouting at the top of our lungs from Mt. Everest.

















So what does make human’s unique from all other created things? We must go back to Genesis for this answer. Genesis 1:26-27 says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness . . . God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” We are God’s image bearers. We are the only thing He created that bears His image. I know that many have debated what it means to be created in His image. To find that answer, I think we must ask the question, “What makes us unique from all other creatures?” When you find the answer to that, you have the answer to our purpose. One might say it is the ability to communicate, but the serpent, Balaam’s donkey, and angels have that ability. Others think it is the ability to choose, but I disagree because when Satan rebelled, angels were also given a chance to choose God’s side or Satan’s. It appears Satan also made a choice to have pride. Not many even suggest that being made in His image means we can glorify Him because rocks, stars, angels, and angels can glorify God.

What does it mean to be an image bearer? It means we have the capacity for communion with God. We were designed to be in relationship with Him. We can know Him and fellowship with Him. That is our purpose. The hint is there in Genesis 1:26 when God says “Us” to describe Himself. He is the three-in-one God. In the very nature of God there exists communion because the one God is Father, Spirit, and Son in perfect fellowship/communion with Himself. Two of the descriptors in the Trinity are terms of relationship (Father & Son). While the rest of creation was spoken into existence, humans were unique—they were formed by God from the dust of the earth. Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” God took extra time with man by actually touching Him and breathing into man’s nose His own breath to give him life. Touch denotes a greater level of intimacy. God spewed out words that created galaxies light years away, but He zoomed in close to touch the dust by which He formed man and He pressed His mouth right up to man’s nose to breathe in the image-bearing life.