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!

In the Hands of God

When trying to figure out how to title this entry, the title of the new Newsboys CD, "In the Hands of God" was the only thing that sufficed.

That's because my son truly was in the hands of God yesterday.

Mondays are my day off, and as such, allow me and the fam to run errands and have fun. We went to Costco yesterday to get some essentials and to just pal around after London's 18-month checkup.

All was fine until I had the idiotic notion to let my son play in a structure he had no business being in. Savannah and Liberty were an aisle over from us as I decided to hoist my son up into the fully assembled playhouse that was about 5 feet up on a shelf. I thought it would be fun for him to sit up there for a sec, and then we'd move on.

I had him within arm's reach, and he seemed to enjoy the little clubhouse, and was being cute, saying "Whoa" and a whole bunch of other intelligible things. But all of the sudden, he backed away from me, and I had this horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen. And it did.

I was aware that the shelf provided the "floor" for the playhouse, but was unaware that the playhouse itself was wider than its "floor." So I never would have guessed (and really, who the hell puts their kid up in one of those things!?!) that London would fall into a gap on the other side of the playhouse where the floor -- the shelf top -- ended.

I heard a bang and looked up and saw my son hanging by his head, stuck in the hole. I leapt up onto the shelf and pulled my son from the playhouse, as I began to hear my wife scream. As I sprinted to the front of the store, blood was pouring from his mouth -- a terrible, horrifying scene I will never forget. I was in shock, and had no idea what had happened.

By the time I reached the front of the store, I screamed to someone "HELP! He's bleeding and I don't know what to do!" Someone ran up and offered gauze to stop the bleeding, and it was at that point I realized that all of London's top teeth had bitten through his bottom lip. It was horrible.

The ambulance soon arrived, and they checked London out and decided that they didn't need to transport him, a discussion that took place while I waited in the car with Liberty, who also was crying.

When I loaded the rest of my family into the car, I completely lost it.

We got to the Kaiser Sunnyside E.R., and London proved how amazing he truly is. Although he was in a completely blood-soaked shirt -- he was still his charming self, waving and saying "hi" to the people who walked by.

The doctor said that London didn't need stitches, and instead cleaned the wound and put a liquid bandage on it -- a compound similar to superglue -- and said that would protect the wound from opening for a day our two. The doctor said there probably won't even be a scar on the underside of his bottom lip... but even if there were, it wouldn't be visible to the average person. On the inside of his mouth, London no doubt feels the worst canker sore he's ever had in his short life.

I'm having a really hard time right now with this. I made a stupid decision. I put my boy in danger, and it could have killed him. The image of him pinned in that hole haunts me constantly, and I think that had London not been in the hands of God, he might not be with us today. I'm so thankful for that. I'm so humbled. I'm so ashamed. I've never cried so much in my life. It's safe to say that yesterday was among the worst of my life, and it definitely was the worst as a parent.

Every time I hear him say "ow" about his mouth, or see him have a hard time eating or sleeping, or look at the wound itself, my heart hurts. I know all is forgiven by God, London and even Savannah (her grace really makes no sense!), but I'm not letting myself off the hook for this one. I'm devastated by the consequences and the potential consequences of my own ignorance. Yes, we were just trying to have fun, but I put my son in critical danger. How reckless! How not-worth-it!

Never again. I'm the cautious parent now. Please pray for my son to heal quickly, and that this wouldn't affect him emotionally or physically somehow in the long-term.

"Now that I've Found You" (a song)

The following song materialized in my skull while driving today. I used the voice recorder on my phone to capture it, then chorded it out at home tonight. Enjoy!

"Now that I've Found You"

Who are we, Lord, that You look for us?
... Search for the sheep who have gone astray?
We've gone astray.
--
Who are we, Lord, to receive your grace?
A love so deep for eternity.
Who are we?

You called me Your child, out of dark shadows.
You rescued my soul, more than I'll ever know.
You saved me!

Now that I've found You,
I'm giving everything I have to worship!
My life is Yours.

You've opened up the impossible.
You give us future and a hope -- forever.
You anoint our heads and move our feet.
Everything You are saturates.
You're beautiful.

You called me your child, out of dark shadows.
You rescued my soul, more than I'll ever know.
You saved me!

Now that I've found You,
I'm giving everything I have to worship.
My life is Yours.
So glad I found you.
Now I'm gonna run from the distractions.
My life is Yours!

My life is Yours, my life is Yours.

The Passion: Facebook-style

I found this on a blog I frequent, and thought I'd pass it along. It's what Jesus' final week would have looked like had it been recorded on Facebook. It's a bit edgy, but worth sharing. My favorite part is where it says Jesus has sent a friend request to everyone.

CHECK IT OUT HERE.

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!