God's chosen ones

I've thought often about the significance of the term "God's chosen ones" and what it really means. Often, this term referred to the Jews, since they are the descendants of the promise -- of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob/Israel. But Galatians 15-29 speaks directly to the issue.

"All the families of the earth will be blessed through you," God promises Abraham in Genesis. But God apparently makes the promise to Abraham's CHILD, too -- singular, not plural, as in descendants. That, Galatians says, is Jesus -- which makes a lot of sense. It reinforces the theory I have -- that God wasn't so interested in the Jewish race exclusively for just the fact that they were Jewish, but because really, the race was a vehicle from which the Savior of the world would come.

Jesus isn't just a Jewish messiah, right? A race, a people had to usher in the much-needed redeemer. God picked Abraham's family because of Abraham's faith and relationship with God.

And because that big promise was handed down throughout the ages, that's why the Jews were most ready to receive the Messiah. God wants to bless the whole world, but picked a family -- a system -- that would best represent Him, that all the world could know Him!

Let me boil it down: The Jews are CHOSEN because they were picked to bring about the Messiah for the WHOLE WORLD to be blessed!

The [Church] Office: Part 3

Here's Part 3 of "The Church Office"!

The [Church] Office

I'm taking a break from serious stuff for a bit, and thought I'd share the fruits of my labor the past few weeks.

I've written six scripts for "The Church Office," a parody of the hit NBC show that also serves as the basis for the current message series we're in at East Hill.

The first four have been filmed, and the two that have been shown in church have been extremely well-received. Here are the first two... enjoy!

The three-legged stool of our witness

It seems to me we have a real problem with balance among the body of believers. The first example of this is the subject of the book I'm reading, "The Grace and Truth Paradox" by Randy Alcorn... but what I want to focus on is the Church's imbalance with regard to its priorities.

It's important for us, as believers, to be committed to personal holiness... that is, placing a priority on being Christlike and not like the world. It's also important for us to serve people and seek social justice around the world, being Christ's hands extended, getting them dirty. And thirdly, it's crucial that we bask in the Lord's presence and seek the power of His Holy Spirit.

But we find ways to prioritize one of these legs and diminish the other two. My observations are, admittedly, generalizations -- but there's enough of a pattern to warrant a double-take.

I've noticed that classic evangelicals and protestants are heavy on personal holiness, moderate on social justice and community service, and light on the Holy Spirit. The emerging church -- the next generation of postmodern, anti-establishment revolutionaries -- is heavy on social justice and community service, moderate on the Holy Spirit and light on personal holiness. Charismatics are heavy on the Holy Spirit, moderate on personal holiness and light on social justice and community service.

The truth is, as believers, we need the stool of our faith to be balanced by all three legs of witness. We are only going to be effective, and truly change the world and ignite revival by being strong in personal holiness, social justice/community service and the Holy Spirit.

It puzzles me that some charismatics can be so close to God in His presence, but then keep it to themselves. It puzzles me that protestants can focus so much on obeying God's law, but miss the grace and power of the Holy Spirit to which the Word refers. It puzzles me that the emerging church can serve and serve and serve, yet behave just like everyone else.

I say this fully knowing that my balance is way out of whack. God, help me to experience your presence. Help me serve Your people. Help me change from within. Amen!

Night is darkest just before dawn

In "The Dark Knight," Harvey Dent says, "The night is always darkest just before the dawn." Of course, he's referring to rampant crime in Gotham City, but I like to think that's true of our world.

I just read this article today stating that religious faith in America is on the decline. Among the findings, we learn that agnostics/atheists are up to 15 percent nationwide, that the Northeast (not the Northwest) is now the least-churched part of the country, and that 1/3 of Vermont residents claim no religious faith.

Interestingly, non-denominational Christians have grown from 0.1 percent in 1990 to 3.5 percent last year. Pentecostals have held steady at 3.5 percent since 1990.

That last fact was interesting to me, especially after reading the phrase that followed in the article: "...a surprising finding considering the dramatic spread of the tradition worldwide."

The Spirit is moving around the world, but here we seem to be just keeping it to ourselves. How do we, the supposedly most Christian nation on the Earth, somehow miss out on the greatest move of God happening? We have some SERIOUS work to do. But I do feel the dawn is coming, despite all the challenges people of faith face.

This study shows me that people aren't looking for religious systems that have burned them and failed them... they're looking for truth. And ultimately, of course, they're looking for Jesus. It's getting pretty dark out there, but I believe the opportunities to really present the Good News of Christ are better than ever.

God, bless our country. Give us the ability to embrace the kind of move of your Spirit that the rest of the world is starting to see... a phenomenon even the mainstream media is starting to notice. Bring it here, Lord! Prepare our hearts so that we can be ready.

I've moved on!

The following is what I wrote for my farewell column. After a major move of God, I moved on from The Sandy Post to become Communications Director at East Hill Church.

It's a bit surreal; all you have to do is browse what I've written on this blog to find that my relationship with The Post was that of a battered spouse; abuse, but there's still some sort of twisted, codependent love at the bottom of it all holding it all together.

Well, that's over now, and a new chapter begins. Hopefully this means I'll be able to update this more. But the fact that I've already been at the new job since Oct. 3 doesn't show much promise yet!

Anyway, here's what I wrote to say goodbye:

...

In the Broadway musical version of “Jekyll & Hyde,” Dr. Henry Jekyll espouses a phrase we’ve probably all heard before, and all accept: “The only thing constant in life is change.”

And boy, is that true for me. In the past year, I’ve had my first child – a beautiful boy named London, moved the entire Sandy Post office to a quaint little house, seen an almost complete turnover in my staff and, as of Father’s Day, learned that I will be the father of another baby.

A pregnancy test I bought as a joke for my wife led to the happiest news of 2008, that we would be having a daughter. My wife, Savannah, is about halfway through the pregnancy already, and we are just beaming at the thought of little Liberty Haven Hathcock coming into the world.

It’s going to be exciting and interesting to see the differences between these babies, who only will be 15 months apart. Since I already have my mini-me, I’m really hoping to see some gorgeous blue eyes and lighter brown hair on this one, but then again, I won’t be disappointed if Liberty ends up looking like her old man.

We picked her name because it means “freedom,” and her middle name means “place of rest.” So many young ladies these days are slaves to our celebutante, popularity-driven culture, trying to fit in and craving to be noticed. Right from the beginning, we want our daughter to know she is free to be the person God made her to be, and can “rest” in that.

Change begets change it seems, and my “insta-family” is among the reasons why that after Friday, Sept. 26, I will leave my beloved position as Editor/General Manager of The Post to become Communications Director at East Hill Church in Gresham.

For the past three-and-a-half years, The Sandy Post has been another baby of mine, in a way. It’s been more than just a job that allows me to make ends meet; it’s been a lifestyle.

I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do in the time I’ve been here. We’ve consistently led Community Newspapers by increasing our circulation in an age that sees newspapers shrinking, not growing. We’ve focused on Sandy, Boring and the mountain villages like never before, and booted out the Gresham news and other stuff that doesn’t apply to us. We’ve made the design more fresh, and produced the kinds of stories that were easy to read, yet full of information.

I’ve had a great team that has never taken itself too seriously, but always took doing the right thing the right way seriously – even if that means rocking out to Led Zeppelin while doing it. Besides my current team, names that come to mind from the past include Claudia Stewart, Cara Buck, Eric Hendricksen, Ryan McVicker, Matthew Hunt, Bill Wilson and Michael Cade.

Yes, our little paper has come a long way, and it is my sincere hope that under your new Editor/General Manager Steve Brown – who will introduce himself in the coming weeks – The Post will continue to flourish. I have a hunch it will be just fine.

The good times have been many. Some of my favorite include rapping with Reporter Garth Guibord in the 2007 Sandy Mountain Festival Parade (and really, any of the parades in which I have participated); writing an editorial that led to the City Council creating a holiday of sorts, George Bruns Day (I’m still waiting for some official celebrations); winning the Society of Professional Journalists’ Rookie of the Year award as all my coworkers held paper cutouts of my goofy head; emceeing both the Chamber Awards Banquet and the Walk For Literacy; and getting SAM bus driver Myrna Gonzales’ name wrong in the paper – twice.

I can’t tell you how I’ve been touched by people’s kind words over the past few weeks. It makes it hard for a guy to leave.

But really, this isn’t goodbye. I intend to keep my journalistic skills sharp by freelancing for The Post and Community Newspapers, and I hope to keep living here in Sandy. I also plan to stay involved in the community – so, for better or worse, you haven’t seen the last of me.

And now, in the tradition of graduating seniors and those dearly departed, I leave my last will and testament for The Post:

To Reporter Garth Guibord I leave my “Tales of Abbygail” posters, my Tollgate Mondays, my Thursday cookies at Subway, the phrases “on tap” and “new digs,” and my superior headline-writing talent. He can have my laptop, too, I guess.

To Sports Editor Darrell Jackson I leave any stories I could have written about Roslyn Lake or Abbygail, any of the baby stuff we left at the office and my ability to generate some heated online comments – oh wait, you already have that.

To Circulation Manager Justin Murphy I leave my Little Red Riding Hood costume. To advertising rep Jenn Groza I leave my desk, since you only have four desks now.

To incoming Editor Steve Brown I leave the 2 a.m. deadline nights (and the delightful smell of Joe’s Donuts in the nighttime air), my Little Red Riding Hood costume, coupons to Smoky Hearth, my beloved “executive” chair, a Costco box of ibuprofen and the amazing responsibility of telling these great people’s stories.

Thank you, Sandy, for allowing me to be a part of your lives. This isn’t goodbye; it’s just see ya around.

True representatives

I'm starting to realize that the Church (with a capital C because I'm talking about Christians at large) today is mainly split into two groups: those who are self-satisfied and lacking an outward focus, and those who are relationally apt, but neglect the truth in their quest for relevance and "reform."

There's a third group — a much smaller one — and I think it's what Jesus wants for His church. It's a kind of believer who stands up for Truth (here we go with another capital letter) uncompromisingly, serves others and is empowered by the Holy Spirit to do amazing and unsettling works.

Someone I know found me at Starbucks reading the Bible with Travis recently. I assume she's not a believer, since she encouraged me to watch some online movie that claims the Gospel actually was plagiarized from a story the Egyptians had developed thousands of years before Christ, in relation to their gods. (In my brief research, I never found anything that supported this.)

It's one thing to be able to show that unlike Egyptian gods, Jesus really lived on the Earth, and that His extraordinary life and death is better documented than any myths the Egyptians cooked up, or most other generally accepted ancient figures of the day — but it's another thing to show He lives today by executing His LOVE (most importantly) and His power on the Earth.

The Lord can be real to people only if we are His true representatives on this planet. That entails being a shoulder to cry on, healing the sick, prophecy, speaking truth in love, meeting with other believers (broken as we all are), and serving — breaking a sweat!

Make me that representative, God! Church has to change, but not at the expense of unflinching truth! I think this song, "Under Bridges" by Brave Saint Saturn, encapsulates this feeling... (sorry for the poor audio quality... listen carefully; if you can't hear it, the amazing lyrics are HERE).